Black sooty mould mango leaves fruit hopper mealybug honeydew sticky aam diagnosis control
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The black coating is sooty mould, and it is almost always a secondary problem. The most likely cause is a sap-sucking pest, usually mango hopper or sometimes mealybug or scale, feeding on the panicles and tender leaves. These pests excrete a sticky sugary honeydew, the black fungus then grows on that honeydew, which is why you see it on leaves and fruit surfaces. The mould itself does not enter the plant, but it blocks sunlight and dirties the fruit, lowering market grade. Please confirm the actual pest by tapping a panicle over white paper at dawn or sending a clear photo to your KVK or horticulture officer, because the spray decision depends on which pest it is. Manage the pest first, not the mould. Open up the canopy with light pruning for air and light, remove water shoots, and clean badly affected leaves. For hopper or mealybug, KVK-recommended insecticides exist as typical actives such as imidacloprid, thiamethoxam or buprofezin, but you must follow the product label, the pre-harvest interval, and rotate modes of action so resistance does not build. If the fruit is close to harvest or meant for export, check residue and MRL limits before spraying. Once the pest stops, the sooty mould dries up and washes off in the rain over time.
We had the exact same black layer last season and it turned out to be hopper. After we cleared the dense inner branches and sprayed on KVK advice the new flush came clean. Air and light inside the tree made a big difference.
Check the trunk too. In our orchard the mealybugs were climbing up from the soil, and once we put a sticky grease band on the trunk the honeydew and black mould reduced a lot.