Mango trees face thrip infestation

Mango trees that are in full bloom this year have attracted the attention of many people. According to farmers and horticultural officials, this was due to low temperatures on winter nights.

However, mango trees in orchards in some regions face pest threats. Thrip, a small insect that feeds on leaves and clusters in orchards in Kollapur, Nagarkurnool and many other parts of Telangana, stunts the growth of the fruit.

Faculty members of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University have suggested measures to protect orchards from these pests.

A farmer named Balraju said that a large portion of his six-acre land in Nagarkurnool district was infested with thrips. “This happened despite me not paying a lot of attention,” he said. His was one of the farms the university team checked out a few days ago.

Thrips do not attack the fruit set (transition from flower to fruit), but damage the fruit set (tiny green mango). Infestation will be greater in mango orchards where sunlight penetrates less due to overlapping branches of other trees that create shade. These conditions are often seen in orchards that are large and more than 20 years old, especially in Mahabubnagar, according to the university’s press note. Faculty recommended that mango groves be pruned regularly for adequate light penetration and to prevent invasive moisture.

Farmers were also advised to go for intercropping to expose the pupae in the soil. The faculty recommended plant growth regulators, fungicides, pesticides and nutrients that should be provided to trees to maintain and increase fruit size.