What are the methods for preventing and controlling pests and diseases in bitter melon?
How do you prevent and control pests and diseases in bitter melon? Please advise, thank you. The pests that are relatively difficult to control in bitter melon include the melon fruit fly, melon aphid, and melon webworm. 1. Melon fruit fly: commonly known as the "needle bee," the adult lays eggs in the fruit, and the larvae bore and feed inside the flesh, causing the fruit to rot and even drop, seriously affecting fruit quality and yield. Currently it is...
How do you prevent and control pests and diseases in bitter melon? Please advise, thank you
The pests that are relatively difficult to control in bitter melon include the melon fruit fly, melon aphid, and melon webworm.
1. Melon fruit fly: commonly known as the "needle bee," the adult lays eggs in the fruit, and the larvae bore and feed inside the flesh, causing the fruit to rot and even drop, seriously affecting fruit quality and yield. Currently it is the peak period for the appearance of the "needle bee," so a comprehensive management approach combining field sanitation, trapping and killing adults, chemical insecticide application, and bagging to protect the fruit is adopted. For chemical insecticide application, "Kung Fu" is recommended. A small packet (5 ml) of "Kung Fu" sold on the market is just enough to mix with one backpack sprayer of water (15 liters). Spraying should be timed before 10-11 a.m. or from 4-6 p.m. during the peak activity period of the adults; during the mating and egg-laying period of the adults, the effect is better. One trapping method is to use yellow boards: coat yellow cardboard or plastic boards with petroleum jelly and place them in the vegetable garden, about 20 pieces per mu, which has a good trapping and killing effect on adults. Vigorously promote the new technique of bagging to protect the fruit, which can both reduce damage from various pests and diseases and improve fruit quality and commercial value.
2. Melon aphid: both adults and nymphs tend to gather on the undersides of leaves and on tender stems and shoot tips to pierce and suck sap. This pest damages the shoot tips, causing leaves to curl, growing points to die, and leaves to wrinkle, turn yellow, and drop prematurely; it can also cause sooty mold and can transmit viral diseases. For chemical control, the recommended product is the highly effective, broad-spectrum, safe 25% Actara water-dispersible granules with a residual effectiveness of up to 21 days; use at 5000-10000 times dilution, which can effectively control melon aphid and also control various pests such as thrips and American leafminer.
3. Melon webworm: the larvae chew the leaves, causing perforations or notches in the leaves, and often bore into the fruit, affecting yield and quality. For chemical control, spray with 50% Kulong at 1000 times dilution or 2.5% Kung Fu at 1500 times dilution, once every 7-10 days.
Click to get more bitter melon growing techniques
Click to get more vegetable growing techniques