Search   Chat 


Pests of coffee and their control

pest nature of damage control measures
shoot and root mealy bugs
planococcus lilacinus
planococcus citri
planococcusperissopneum sp.		 yellowing, wilting and defoliation leading to stunting. sooty mould; the feeder roots die. Ants help to distribute the pest. Berry drop. Active from feb to june. control ants by dusting ekalux 1.5% or malathion 5% around the bushes and shade trees. destroy ant nests.
remove mealy bug infested weeds.
treat with thimet or Dassanit 5 G.
spray for the shoots and drench for the roots of grown up plants with any one of the foll:ekalux 25EC
folithion 1000
lebaycid 1000 in 200 litres of water or freshly prepared neutral bordeaux mixture along with 1 kg of fish oil rosin soap or 100 ml of sandovit or vettoplant.
green bug curled or distorted young leaves covered with a black fungus. Dropping of tender berries. control ants by dusting ekalux 1.5% or malathion 5% around the bushes and shade trees. destroy ant nests. spray for the shoots and drench for the roots of grown up plants with any one of the foll:ekalux 25EC
folithion 1000
lebaycid 1000 in 200 litres of water or freshly prepared neutral bordeaux mixture along with 1 kg of fish oil rosin soap or 100 ml of sandovit or vettoplant.
brown bug same as for green bug same as for shoot mealy bug
hairy caterpillar appear generally on shade trees and later come down to coffee. occur in congregations. collect and kill caterpillars wherever possible.
burn pupae fron jan to may.
light traps for destroying moths.
for killing caterpillars spray ekalaux 25EC at 350ml or Thiodan 35EC at 280ml along with 1 kg of fish oil rosin soap.
cockchafers cut and eat feeder roots from may to oct-nov drench soil around the base of the plants with lindane 20 EC at 750 ml in 200 lit of water.
apply 5g of thimet 10G or tomik 10Gat the time of planting.
build up good shade.
shothole borer a serious pest of robusta. attack on tertiary twigs, young primaries and suckers. starts by mid-june and increases by september. The adult female bores a hole the size of a pinhead on the lower side of a twig in the internodial region. The tunnel which extends 38mm to both sides of the hole is lined with the ambrosia fungus on which the larvae feed. prune and burn the affected twig, desucker during summer, maintain thin shade, good drainage, spray the crown foliage with 650 ml of lindane20EC in 200 litres of water.
white stem borer grubs feed on the wood of the stem and thick primaries and tunnel in all directions, sometimes right down to the taproot. Tunnels are packed with chalk-like excreta. trace, stump or uproot and burn borer-infested plants during march-april and sept-oct., apply lindane 20EC at 1300ml along with 100ml of sandivit or vettoplant in 200 litres of water by swabbing the main stem and thick primaries during apr-may or sept-dec.
red borer (zeuzera coffea) the adult moth emerges in apr-may. Larvae damage the stem of young plants and thick primaries during sept-nov. affected branches show wilting and reveal one or more holes through which excrement of larvae hangs out in the form of pellets. destroy caterpillars, burn infested branches, generally below pest level.
Thrips Females have saw-like ovipositor. Eggs are laid inside the leaf tissue. Larvae and adults grasp and scrape the the epidermis and suck the sap, resulting in local scars, and distortion of young leaves. maintaim good shade, spray as for green bug(except lannate) only in exposed fields till such time that shade trees cover up.
snail(ariophanta solata) from june-oct on dadap and coffee. feeds on bark and leaves causing damage to foliage. hand-picking and clean weeding. Broadcast snailkil (metaldehyde product) at 37.5 kg /ha.
nematode
pratylenchus coffeue
rotylenchus reniformis		 general stunting and yellowing of basal leaves, decaying of roots leading to die-back, tap root may be destroyed, tufts of adventitious roots,appear from near the collar region. fumigate the soil with DD/EDB at the rate of 4ml /sq ft., rab the soil by heating it, use robusta-arabica grafted seedlings, exclude nematode-infested plants, jungle soil and farmyard manure.

The recommendations in this account are for high-volume spraying. The quantity of an insecticide required should be adjusted for low-volume spraying.N.B. use rubber handgloves and take suitable protective measures while spraying. Wash hands thoroughly with soap after handling the chemicals.

Diseases of coffee and their control
disease symptoms control measures.
coffee leaf rust small pale-yellow spota on the lower surface of infected leaves, orange-yellow spore mass appears, defoliation and die-back. Results in serious crop loss and causes fluctuations in production. 3 applications of 0.5% Bordeaux mixture for susceptible varieties.
Black rot(koleroga roxia) blackening and rotting of affected leaves, young twigs and berries. Affected leaves get detached and hang down by means of slimy fungal strands. Defoliation and berry drop occur. Remove and burn affected parts. Apply 1% Bordeaux mixture close to the south westerly monsoon if needed. Centre the coffee bushes, regulate the overhead canopy.
anthracnose A weak parasite but becomes vigorous under favourable environmental conditions. causes 3 diseases:
1. radclife disease:yellowing of one or more functional leaves, necrosis of nodes, leaf-fall, die-back of twigs and death of many branches.
2. Stalk rot of berries and leaves. neorosis of nodes and internodes from the junction of brown wood and green wood towards apex followed by berry drop and defoliation due to decaying of stalk portion.
3.brown blight: roundish spots are first brown, then turn grey making the leaf look blighted.		 provide good drainage to remove excess water from the root zone. Spray with 0.5% Bordeaux mixture to prevent defoliation., maintain adequate shade to avoid sunscald.
Root rots (fomes spp., fusarium spp.) 1.stump or brown root-rots: affected bushes show a gradual yellowing of leaves and defoliation and death. Affected roots are brittle and show dark brown wavy lines of the fungus.
2. fusarial root rot or wilt: a sudded wilting and yellowing of leaves leading to defoliation and death of aerial parts. Roots turn brown to pinkish.		 Burn the plants at site, isolate affected patches by digging deep trenches, ring the bark and poison the shade trees while thinning., remove the affected plants and treat the soil at 1kg lime per plant to raise the soil pH. treat the soil around the affected area with PDCB or brassicol at 0.4%. Maintain the vigour of plants.
berry blotch neorotic spots on the exposed surface of green berries enlarge and cover the major portion. fruit skin shrivels and sticks fast. spray 1% Bordeaux mixture during june and late august, maintain medium shade overhead.
nursery disease (collar rot or damping-off) pre=emergent damping off in germinating beds. Collar rot in primary or secondary beds. Seedlings show wilting, rotting extends from the collar all around and seedlings collapse. Apply brassicol 0.4% or terrachlor or rhizoctol or Flit406 or ferbam or dithanr m22 0.4%. Maintain good shade and sanitation. Remove and burn affected seedlings.
Brown eye spot. usually severe in the nursery but found on young coffee plants also, small circular neorotic spota appear with dark brown margin and pale white centre. Leaves turn yellow and are shed. spray nursery seedlings with 0.4% flit 406 and young coffee plants with 1% Bordeaux mixture during april-may and sept-oct, avoid exposing the plants to direct sun.
kondli or stem wasting (disorder) A non-parasitic disorder. A constriction of the main stem, tendency towards lean and lanky growth and the main stem snaps off at the constricted portion. avoid application of copper fungicides to nursery seedling especially in inclement weather during june-august.



    - Commercial Crops
    - Plantation Crops
    - Field Crops
    - Condiments & Spices
    - Medicinal & Aromatic
      Plants
    - Cropping Patterns
    - Water Management in
      Crop Production
    - Forage Crops & Grasses
    - Horticultural Crops