Rugose spyralling white fly ( RSWF) -Serious pest in Coconut plantations .
Recently in last 2 years this RSWF has started damaging coconut trees widely across India .This insect lays yellow colour eggs and young crawlers and mature adults feed on the undersurface of leaves .The honey like substance secreted from the bodies of RSWF falls down on the surface of lower leaves where capnoidium fungus grows fast and leaves become dark that would prevent photosynthesis and ultimately reduce growth and yield of trees .
Management of RSWF
Set up yellow colour polythene sheets( sticky trap ) 5ft by 1 1/2ft size smeared with castor oil @ 10 nos per acre at 6 ft high above ground .Adult insects are attracted to yellow colour and get trapped
Fix 2 Nos of yellow light traps in field and keep switched on between 6 PM to 11 PM to attract adults and get killed
Forcible spray of water over leaves to wash black fungus and RSWF
Mix maitha starch @ 25grams in 1 lit water and spray over leaves . Fungus and insects will be removed as flakes from the surface of leaves when it goes drying .Neem oil @ 30 ml in 1 lit water or Azadirachtin @2 ml in 1 lit water is sprayed at weekly or enough frequency depending on the severity of infestation and circumstances .
Encorsya parasite are released into coconut groves .This wasp like parasite feed on the crawlers and adult . Natural predators like chrysoperla is also released to check this RSWF
The use of toxic insecticide will kill these natural predators and parasites and RSWF would outgrow and multiply very faster and unchecked in the event of absence of these predators and parasites . RSWF completes life cycle in about 30 days .so many life cycles in shorter period allow rapid multiplication of RSWF and it spreads
Be vigilant to save your coconut grove
