A Detailed Guide to Common Pests and Diseases of Okra and Their Control Methods
Okra is a relatively popular vegetable on the market today. Its nutritional value and medicinal value are both quite good, making it the ideal choice for people who pursue health and wellness, and okra's taste is also very good, so many people have now started to grow okra. However, okra will encounter many pests and diseases during its growth process, so how should we carry out prevention and control, and which pests and diseases are more common? Let us follow Qinnong Web to find out.
1. Damping-off
The early symptoms of damping-off appear as brown spots on the leaves. Gradually, if no treatment is carried out, they will all wither, and may even cause the entire plant to wither and die. The cause of this disease is improper field water management. Normally, okra does not need a lot of water to grow. If there is a lot of rain, we need to drain the water from the field in time, which can fundamentally prevent the occurrence of damping-off. Second, once the disease occurs, we need to use Bordeaux mixture for control, and the effect is still quite obvious.
2. Viral disease
Viral disease is generally caused by an improper growing environment and incorrect field management. Its symptoms are that okra seedlings are generally rather short, and there are markings on the leaves while the flowers bloom with impurities. There are two control methods. The first is to standardize fertilization and weeding during okra's growth process. The second is to use chemicals for control. The chemical used is a 400-fold dilution of 20% Virus A WP for spraying, generally once every seven or eight days, so that it is effective.
3. Aphids
Aphids are the common enemy of all crops, one might even say the common enemy of crop cultivation. They appear in every crop row, and they are different from other pests. Other pests appear in certain periods, but aphids exist throughout the entire growth process, which is very troublesome. Therefore, a relatively common chemical later appeared for aphid control, namely imidacloprid pesticides. Any pesticide of this type can control aphids, which makes things much more convenient.
4. Ants
Ants are also quite likely to appear during okra's growth period. Ants like to feed on the pollen in okra flowers, so whenever okra blooms, a large group of ants will be attracted. Before this happens, we need to take protective measures. We need to spray a 1,000-fold dilution of 48% Lorsban EC (domestic chlorpyrifos) on okra's leaves, stems and roots, or mix fipronil with some food that ants like to eat and scatter it where ants will appear. This can also produce a defensive effect.
5. Moths
Moth-type pests generally appear in the season when okra is about to mature. If preparations against moths are not made during this period, the losses will be relatively large, because okra can originally be harvested multiple times. As long as fertilization continues after harvesting, it will continue to grow okra, and then it can be harvested again. However, moths especially like to eat okra's leaves and attach themselves to okra, so they will eat most of the okra leaves, leaving only scraps, or bite everything to pieces, seriously affecting the quality of okra. Therefore, when one or two moths appear in the field, we need to spray a 1,000-fold dilution of 52.5% Anbao EC on the leaf surface for control. Of course, it must not be sprayed within one week before harvest, or buy some traps specifically for moths to trap them, so that okra will not be contaminated.