What are the common pests of ginger? A detailed guide to prevention and control methods

Ginger is one of the indispensable condiments in our daily lives, and it is also a very common traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Ginger has the effects of benefiting the spleen and stomach, removing dampness, and relieving cough and phlegm. It can also sterilize and detoxify. However, even though it has sterilizing effects, it cannot avoid being attacked by pests during the growing process. The common pests of ginger are ginger stem borer and ginger maggot, both of which can cause great losses to ginger. Below, Qinnong Network will introduce the prevention and control methods for ginger pests.

I. The growing environment of ginger

Ginger originated in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, and due to climatic influences, its growth habits are consistent with those of tropical crops. Ginger prefers a warm and humid climate, and is neither cold-tolerant nor drought-tolerant. The most suitable growing temperature is 25°C-28°C. If it encounters frost, the plant will wither, and the rhizome and leaves will no longer have the ability to sprout. Therefore, ginger cultivation must be carried out within a frost-free period.

II. Common pests of ginger and their prevention and control

As mentioned earlier, the common pests of ginger are ginger stem borer and ginger maggot. Both of these pests mainly target ginger. They are introduced separately below.

1. Ginger stem borer:

Farmers call it the heart-boring worm. This pest's larvae bore into and feed on ginger seedlings, causing the leaves to turn yellow and wither, and in severe cases can cause the death of the whole plant. Prevention and control methods: Eliminate adult ginger stem borers early, remove larvae by hand, or apply pesticide to kill them during the first and second instar larval stages. The larvae of this pest can be seen causing damage as early as early May, with the peak period being July and August, when ginger seedlings are at the stage of vigorous branching.

Prevention and control methods:

For prevention and control, applying pesticide during the young larval stage gives better results. For killing larvae during the larval stage, 50g of pyrethroid pesticide can be mixed with 300-400kg of water and sprayed, or 50g of sushamieding can be mixed with 400kg of water and sprayed on the heart leaves of ginger seedlings in the evening. Once the solution flows to the stem, it can kill the ginger stem borer larvae.

2. Ginger maggot: It is the main pest during the storage period of ginger. The larvae are commonly known as ginger maggots, and they also harm seed ginger in the field, affecting the yield and quality of ginger to a certain extent. Ginger maggot larvae have moisture-seeking and concealment habits. Newly hatched larvae bore into the skin of ginger to feed. Those feeding at the "round head" part of ginger cover themselves with a silk web mixed with insect feces and debris, and the larvae hide within it. The larvae are active, and at the damaged parts of ginger only the epidermis, coarse fibers, and granular insect feces remain. They can also cause ginger to rot. Ginger maggots are not strict about environmental conditions and can occur year-round. Especially when temperatures rise around Qingming Festival, the damage intensifies. Field surveys show that the damage rate of ginger reaches 20-25%.

Prevention and control methods:

Carefully select ginger seeds, and immediately discard any seed ginger found to be damaged, or soak the seed ginger in 1.80% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate diluted 1000 times for 5-10 minutes to prevent pests from spreading from the ginger cellar to the field. Before storing ginger in the cellar, thoroughly clean the ginger cellar and spray it with 80% dichlorvos diluted 1000 times. Alternatively, when placing ginger, put several open small bottles containing undiluted dichlorvos in the ginger pile. Another option is to heat undiluted dichlorvos after the ginger is placed for fumigation. In the field, attention should be paid to carefully selecting ginger seeds and discarding damaged seed ginger. Soaking seed ginger in 80% dichlorvos diluted 1000 times for 5-10 minutes before sowing can kill the pests inside the ginger.

The above is the introduction and prevention and control of ginger pests brought to you by Qinnong Network. Ginger is a plant that is not suitable for continuous cropping. It is usually rotated with rice and leguminous plants. If continuous cropping is practiced, the above two pests will worsen year by year, and it will also cause diseases such as ginger blast and root-knot nematode. The yield will decrease year by year or even result in total crop failure.