What are the common pest and disease control methods for dragon fruit?
What pests and diseases need to be controlled when growing dragon fruit? Please provide an introduction and guidance. To control pests and diseases when growing dragon fruit, you can refer to the following methods: (1) Pests and diseases. Because dragon fruit is a wild plant and has not been domesticated for long, it has no specific pests and diseases. To date, no fatal insect pests have been found. As for diseases, after transplanting or injury, its resistance weakens and it may be infected by bacteria or viruses, but no local or widespread infectious diseases have been found. As for insect pests, during the branch growth period, the tender shoots will be gnawed by pests, but because the plant produces many tender shoots in a very short time and they grow rapidly (more than 2 cm per day), the amount gnawed by pests is extremely limited and will not affect branch growth.
What pests and diseases need to be controlled when growing dragon fruit? Please provide an introduction and guidance.
To control pests and diseases when growing dragon fruit, you can refer to the following methods:
(1) Pests and diseases
Because dragon fruit is a wild plant and has not been domesticated for long, it has no specific pests and diseases. To date, no fatal insect pests have been found. As for diseases, after transplanting or injury, its resistance weakens and it may be infected by bacteria or viruses, but no local or widespread infectious diseases have been found. As for insect pests, during the branch growth period, the tender shoots will be gnawed by pests, but because the plant produces many tender shoots in a very short time and they grow rapidly (more than 2 cm per day), the amount gnawed by pests is extremely limited and will not affect branch growth.
(2) Pest and disease control
Several common pest and disease control methods are introduced below:
The seedling and branch growth stages of dragon fruit are exactly the stages when dragon fruit branches grow, accumulate nutrients, and store nutrients for flowering and fruiting. At this time, the outer skin of the branches is relatively thin, tender and juicy, and mollusks such as snails and slugs are likely to cause damage by gnawing on the tender branches, which is unfavorable to dragon fruit branch growth. Therefore, at this time, damage by mollusks such as snails and slugs should be prevented. The control method is to spread lime or wood ash around the base of the plant or use poisonous bait to trap and kill them.
During the seedling growth period, caterpillars like to eat tender branches, especially tender shoots. If the growing point is eaten at this time, the plant will stop growing. The control method is to sow seeds of bok choy on the ground to attract butterflies to lay eggs on the bok choy, so that dragon fruit tender shoots are spared from damage. If caterpillars occur severely, insecticides can be used to kill them. Generally, spraying starts when flower buds and new shoots have grown about 3 cm. The pesticides include 90% trichlorfon or 80% dichlorvos plus 40% dimethoate each at 1000 times dilution, 20% fenvalerate or 2.5% deltamethrin at 2000-3000 times dilution, and 50% fenitrothion at 1000 times dilution. Spray once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.
In addition, when the dragon fruit peel turns red and the fruit matures, fruit flies will lay eggs inside the epidermis of the nearly mature fruit. After hatching, the larvae feed on the flesh, causing fruit cracking and fruit rot. The damaged fruit surface looks intact, but on close inspection there are insect holes; when pressed by hand, juice flows out; when cut open, the flesh has rotted and contains many maggots. The control method is to loosen and turn the garden soil in winter or early spring to reduce the winter pest population base; during the peak outbreak period, spray the tree canopy at night with pyrethroid pesticides at 2000 times dilution or 90% trichlorfon at 800 times dilution plus 3%-5% brown sugar, once every 7 days, for 3 consecutive sprays; bagasse fiber squares (57 mm x 57 mm x 10 mm) soaked in a solution of 97% methyl eugenol plus 3% dibrom (mixed at a ratio of 95:5) can also be hung on the trees, 50 pieces per sq m, hung twice a month, to trap and kill male adults. In the middle stage of fruit development, fruits can be bagged to prevent adult flies from laying eggs.
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