The leaves on my okra plants have turned yellow but the veins stay green making a network pattern, and now the pods are yellowish, small and a bit twisted. Whiteflies are present. New plants nearby are getting it too. Is this a virus?
3 जवाब
Yes, the yellow leaf with a green vein network and the pale twisted pods are classic okra yellow vein mosaic virus, spread by whitefly. There is no cure once a plant is infected, so the focus is whitefly control and removing virus sources. Pull out and destroy infected plants early before the whitefly carries it further, use yellow sticky traps, and manage whitefly with neem for light pressure or a recommended insecticide such as diafenthiuron or flonicamid for heavier loads, rotating modes of action. For future crops choose resistant or tolerant varieties, which is the most reliable defence, sow on time to avoid peak whitefly periods, and keep nearby weeds and old okra plants cleared as they harbour both virus and whitefly. Since okra pods are picked often and eaten fresh, follow the label and pre-harvest interval. Show a leaf to your KVK to confirm and to get the best local resistant variety.
Variety choice is everything here. The old local seed got it badly every year. A tolerant hybrid from the KVK gave me a much cleaner crop.
Removing infected plants early felt wasteful but it slowed the spread a lot. Leaving them just feeds the whitefly the virus.