Guava - Pest management

 Root knot nematode Meloidogyne spp. affected guava

Integrated Nematode Management in Guava

1. Sanitation : Use of nematode free saplings for planting, Removal and destruction of nematode infected saplings or trees. Maintaining the orchard free from weeds and alternate hosts

2. Nematode management in nurseries

Treatment of soil mixture used for raising guava rootstocks. A ton of soil mixture has to be mixed with 50 -100kg of neem cake or pongamia cake enriched with the bio-pesticides such as Paecilomyces lilacinus, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum. 5 kg of Carbofuran / phorate can also be added to one ton of soil mixture.

3. Nematode management in orchards

Apply 3 – 4 kg of bio-pesticide enriched vermicompost/ Farm Yard Manure/ compost per plant once at an interval of 3-4 months. Mix 20 kg of bio-pesticide enriched neem cake / pongamia cake in 200 lit water, leave it for two days. This can be used for drenching at 2 – 3 lit/ plant or filter it thoroughly and use it for sending along the drip, once in an interval of 15 – 20 days. The filtered suspension can be used for spraying the crop or can also be used as spray fluid for spraying micro nutrient mixtures.

(Procedure of enrichment of neem cake / pongamia cake with bio-pesticides: Mix 3 - 4 kg of each of Paecilomyces lilacinus/ Pochonia chlamydosporia, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum / T. viride in one ton of neem cake / pongamia cake and leave it in shade for 20 days at 25 – 30% moisture for multiplication of beneficial microbes).

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