Common Lychee Pests and Diseases and Their Control Methods

Lychee is a common seasonal fruit in summer, sweet and juicy with tender, delicious flesh. Many farmers grow lychee, but the problem of pests and diseases also greatly affects the yield and quality of lychee. So, what are the common pests and diseases of lychee? How to prevent and control them? Let's take a look together!

1. Stink bug

Stink bugs generally feed on the fruit tips, flower spikes and fruits during the young fruit stage of lychee, causing the fruit to drop. In winter, under low temperatures, stink bugs enter a state of feigned death. We can shake the branches and, after they fall to the ground, kill them, or we can use chemical sprays. The active period of stink bugs is generally March, April and May; spray once a month during these three months with methamidophos and similar chemicals to control the insects. Stink bug egg masses are also very obvious and can be collected and dealt with together.

2. Fruit-stem borer

The fruit-stem borer, as its name suggests, feeds on the fruit stem during the young fruit stage of lychee, entering the fruit from the fruit stem, feeding on the stone and causing the fruit to drop. The vascular tissue is eaten hollow, and the leaves turn yellow and withered. In winter, the orchard must be cleaned thoroughly, and the fallen dead branches should be gathered and burned. During the flower spike stage and one month before the fruit ripens, spray to prevent it. You can spray 750 times diluted dichlorvos or 1000 times diluted Xingbaomian to kill it, but note that the larvae live inside the leaf veins, while the adults live within the tree canopy.

3. Inchworm

There are many species of inchworm, and they also feed on leaves and young fruit. The most serious damage occurs when lychee blooms in spring. Before lychee blooms or after the flowers fade, chemical sprays can be applied to kill them. Use 800 times diluted dichlorvos or 900 times diluted trichlorfon for spraying. However, note that inchworms are also very harmful to people; be careful not to let inchworms touch the skin, as contact with the skin will cause redness and swelling, with both pain and itching.

4. Leaf roller

Like the inchworm, the leaf roller also has many species. The larvae feed on leaves and fruit tips and bore into the fruit. It is the most frequently active among these several pests. The control methods are much the same as the previous ones: clean the orchard in winter, gather and burn dead branches, and spray dichlorvos before flowering and after the flowers fade.

5. Scarab beetle

There are two relatively common scarab beetles: the flower-eating scarab and the copper-green scarab. Adult scarab beetles eat leaves and fruit, while the larvae generally live underground feeding on the roots, so the fruit tree cannot absorb nutrients and its vigor deteriorates. In the morning and evening, scarab beetles fly in groups. At this time, you can catch them by hand, or when they feign death, shake the branches, and after they fall to the ground, gather and kill them. You can also spray pesticides, or spray phoxim poison into the soil before the larvae emerge to kill them.

6. Felt disease

Felt disease mainly damages young leaves, and in severe cases damages flower spikes or branches. The main pest is the rust mite. When this pest appears, the upper surface of the leaves looks as if it has rusted, and it is most serious in spring. The damaged leaves have toothpick-like protrusions, and the damaged parts enlarge and thicken, with white downy hairs on the underside. When this condition generally appears, prune off the damaged branches, remove the fallen branches, and gather and burn them. When the buds sprout in spring, you can spray dichlorvos and similar chemicals for prevention.

The above is the editor's compilation. I hope it can help you!