A Detailed Guide to Common Okra Pests and Diseases 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 top choice for people who pursue a healthy lifestyle nowadays, and okra's taste is also excellent, so many people have started growing 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 relatively common? Let's follow Qinnong Net to find out.
1. Damping-off
The early symptoms of damping-off are brown spots on the leaves. Gradually, if no treatment is carried out, the leaves will all wither, and it may even cause the entire plant to wither and die. The cause of this disease is improper management of field moisture. Under normal circumstances, okra growth does not need much water. If there is relatively rainy weather, we need to drain the water out of the field in time. This can fundamentally prevent the occurrence of damping-off. Secondly, once the disease occurs, we need to use Bordeaux mixture for control, and the effect is still very obvious.
2. Viral disease
The causes of viral disease are generally improper planting environment and incorrect field management. Its symptoms are that okra seedlings are generally relatively short, then there are markings on the leaves and the flowers also bloom with impurities. There are two control methods. One is to standardize fertilization and weeding during the growth of okra. The other is to use chemicals for control. The chemical used is a 20% virus AWP 400-fold solution spray, generally sprayed once every seven or eight days, so that it has a curative effect.
3. Aphids
Aphids are the common enemy of all crops, even the common enemy of crop cultivation. They appear in every crop row, and they are different from other pests. Other pests occur in certain time periods, but aphids exist throughout the entire growth process, which is very troublesome. So later a relatively general pesticide appeared for aphid control, namely imidacloprid-type pesticides. Any pesticide of this type can control aphids, which makes things much more convenient.
4. Ants
The probability of ants appearing during the growth period of okra is also relatively high. Ants like to feed on the pollen on okra flowers, so whenever okra blooms, it attracts a large group of ants. Before this, we need to take protective measures. We need to spray 48% Lorsban EC (domestic chlorpyrifos) 1 000-fold solution on the leaves, stems and roots of okra, or use Regent mixed with some food that ants like to eat and scatter it where ants will appear. This can also achieve 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 loss will be relatively large, because okra can originally be harvested multiple times. As long as fertilization continues after harvest, it will continue to grow okra, and then it can be harvested again. However, moths especially like to eat okra ducks and attach themselves to okra, so they will eat most of the okra leaves, leaving only bits and pieces, or bite them all badly, seriously affecting the quality of okra. Therefore, when one or two moths appear in the field, we need to spray 52.5% Security EC 1000-fold solution on the leaf surface for control. Of course, it must not be sprayed within one week before harvest, or buy some traps specifically targeting moths to trap them, so that okra will not be contaminated.