white waxy stuff and black sooty mould under coconut leaves whitefly attack
How to control rugose spiralling whitefly in coconut?
MMurugan1yr ago · 432 views
3 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓1yr ago
Rugose spiralling whitefly leaves white waxy spirals on the underside of fronds and the honeydew causes black sooty mould, but it is mostly a cosmetic and nuisance pest that natural enemies usually control well, so avoid hard chemical sprays that kill the helpful parasitoids. The encouraged approach is conservation of the parasitoid Encarsia and other predators, which build up and suppress the whitefly. Wash off colonies and sooty mould from lower fronds with a strong water jet or 1 percent starch solution, and install yellow sticky traps. Maintain palm vigour with proper manuring and irrigation. Do not spray broad spectrum insecticides on the canopy as that worsens the problem by removing the biocontrol agents.
SSelvam1yr ago
Everyone panicked and sprayed when this whitefly first came, and it got worse. The tiny parasite wasp cleaned it up on its own in my garden once I stopped spraying. Patience worked.
KKarthik1yr ago
A water jet to wash off the sooty mould on the lower fronds made the trees look healthy again. Keep the palms well fed and watered, weak palms show the damage more.