Virus diseases

Sterility mosaic

Rogue out (pull out and destroy) virus-infected plants in the early stages of growth. The disease is spread by a mite (Aceria cajani).

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Redgram – Disease management (Sterility mosaic), p. 131

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera): non-chemical measures

Grow castor as a border or intercrop to serve as an indicator or trap crop. Monitor the moths with light traps and pheromone traps. Collect and destroy egg masses, and the gregarious larvae as soon as lace-like leaves appear on castor, cowpea and groundnut. Spray NSKE 5% (neem seed kernel extract), or apply nuclear polyhedrosis virus at 1.5 x 10^12 POB per hectare with crude sugar 2.5 kg and teepol 250 ml per hectare.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Groundnut – Tobacco caterpillar, p. 194

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Bud necrosis virus

Spray antiviral principles (AVP) from sorghum or coconut leaves twice, at 10 and 20 days after sowing. To prepare: dry and powder the leaves; add 2 litres of water to 1 kg of leaf powder, heat to 60°C for one hour, filter through muslin cloth and dilute to 10 litres. About 500 litres of spray fluid is needed for one hectare. The disease is spread by thrips; in areas where it is common, use the wider 15 cm x 15 cm spacing.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Groundnut – Disease management (Bud necrosis), p. 196

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chilli mosaic (virus)

Raise two rows of maize or sorghum for every five rows of chilli crop, against the wind direction.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Chilli – Diseases (Chilli mosaic), p. 77

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Whitefly, leaf curl and spotted wilt

Whitefly spreads leaf curl virus: install yellow sticky traps at 12 per hectare and remove the alternate weed host Abutilon indicum. For tomato spotted wilt, select healthy seedlings for transplanting and rogue out infected plants up to 45 days after planting.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tomato – Plant protection (Whitefly, leaf curl, spotted wilt), pp. 60–62

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

IPM package for tomato

Seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens (10 g/kg); nursery application of Trichoderma viride and P. fluorescens; neem cake at 250 kg/ha; soil application of P. fluorescens at 2.5 kg/ha; select good, virus-free seedlings; rogue out virus-infected plants up to 45 days after transplanting; grow marigold as a border crop; Helicoverpa and Spodoptera pheromone traps at 12 per hectare; release Trichogramma chilonis at 50,000 per hectare; yellow sticky traps; and neem formulations (1%) or neem seed kernel extract (5%).

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tomato – IPM package, p. 62

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Powdery mildew, rust and yellow mosaic: non-chemical measures

Powdery mildew: spray NSKE 5% or neem oil 3% twice at a 10-day interval from the first symptoms. Rust: spray 10% eucalyptus leaf extract when the disease starts and 10 days later. Yellow mosaic (spread by whitefly): install yellow sticky traps at 12 per hectare, rogue out virus-infected plants up to 45 days, and spray 10% notchi leaf extract at 30 days or a neem formulation at 3 ml per litre.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Greengram – Disease management (Powdery mildew, rust, yellow mosaic), pp. 149–150

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemical pesticides: ask before you spray

The source lists insecticides and fungicides for stem fly, aphids, whitefly, pod borers, rust, leaf spot and leaf curl. Many are hazardous, and some may be restricted. Choose a product only with your local Agriculture Officer, and spray only after the pest crosses the threshold level.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Greengram – Pest & disease management, pp. 148–150

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Caterpillars and yellow mosaic

For caterpillars (Spodoptera, Helicoverpa, semilooper and others), Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki at 500–750 g per hectare is listed as a biological option. For yellow mosaic virus (spread by whitefly), rogue out infected plants up to 30 days after sowing.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Soyabean – Crop protection, p. 177

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemical pesticides: ask before you spray

The source lists insecticides for caterpillars, girdle beetle, leaf weevil and virus vectors, and fungicides for rust. Many are hazardous, and some may be restricted. Choose a product only with your local Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Soyabean – Crop protection, p. 177

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Fruit borers, whitefly and yellow vein mosaic: IPM

Set up pheromone traps at 12 per hectare and collect and destroy affected fruits. Release the egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis at 1.0 lakh per hectare, green lacewing larvae at 10,000 per hectare, and Chelonus blackburnii and Bracon brevicornis at 1000 adults each per hectare three times at fortnightly intervals from flower initiation. Spray Bacillus thuringiensis at 2 g/l. Grow maize as a border crop against whiteflies, use yellow sticky traps, and periodically remove yellow vein mosaic–infected plants. Apply neem cake at 250 kg/ha and neem formulations.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Bhendi – IPM; IPM package, pp. 71–72

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: non-chemical measures in the source

Cutworms: summer ploughing, light traps (7–10 pm), pheromone traps (8/acre), hand-collecting larvae, NSKE 5% or Bacillus thuringiensis 2 g/l. Tuber moth: healthy tubers planted 15 cm deep, pheromone traps (5/acre), earthing up, and covering stored seed tubers with lantana or eucalyptus branches. Nematodes: do not grow potato year after year in the same field. Late blight and brown rot: use disease-free seed, good drainage, and remove affected plants. Viruses: use virus-free seed and pull out affected plants.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Potato – Plant protection (non-chemical measures), pp. 135–137

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for cutworms, tuber moth, aphids, jassids, thrips, late blight, early blight and the aphids that spread viruses. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Potato – Plant protection, pp. 135–137

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Whitefly and mosaic: non-chemical measures in the source

Mosaic spreads through whitefly. Take planting material only from healthy plants; remove the weed host Abutilon indicum; set yellow sticky traps (12/ha); use nitrogen carefully; avoid excess irrigation; do not keep the crop beyond its duration. Neem oil 3% is also listed. Papaya mealybug: release the parasitoid Acerophagus papayae (100 per acre). Tuber rot: avoid waterlogging and provide drainage; Trichoderma asperellum 2.5 kg/ha at planting and at the 3rd and 6th months.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tapioca – Plant protection (whitefly, mosaic, mealybug, tuber rot), pp. 141–142

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: ask before you spray

The source lists chemical treatments for whitefly, mosaic vectors, Cercospora leaf spot and tuber rot. Choose any product only with your local Horticulture or Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Tapioca – Plant protection, pp. 141–142

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: non-chemical measures in the source

Shoot, panicle and capsule borer: pheromone traps at 12 per hectare. Mosaic (katte) disease, a serious disease, is spread by the banana aphid. The source also lists chemical sprays for thrips, aphids, hairy caterpillars, mites, damping off and capsule rot (azhukal) — ask your officer before using any.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Cardamom – Plant protection, pp. 169–170

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-05

Weevils, borers and aphids: clean-field measures

Remove dried leaves periodically and keep the plantation clean. Remove side suckers up to the eighth month. Do not dump infested material in the manure pit; uproot infested plants, chop them into pieces and burn them. Trap and kill adult weevils with pseudostem pieces. The banana aphid spreads bunchy top virus.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Banana – Pests (rhizome weevil, stem borer, aphid), p. 11

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemicals: ask before you use

The source lists insecticides for weevils, aphids and thrips, sucker dips and corm injections for wilt, fungicide sprays for Sigatoka, and chemical methods to kill bunchy-top plants. Choose any product only with your local Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Banana – Plant protection, pp. 11–12

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Ringspot virus, root rot and nematodes

Papaya ringspot: raise seedlings in an insect-proof net house, grow two rows of maize as a border crop one month before transplanting, and apply 10 kg FYM per pit. Root rot appears in waterlogged areas, so good drainage is vital. Against nematodes, apply neem cake 250 g per plant or Pseudomonas fluorescens 4 g per plant.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Papaya – Plant protection (nematodes, root rot, ringspot), p. 34

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Chemical sprays: ask before you spray

The source lists a seed fungicide, soil drenches for root rot and insecticide sprays against the ringspot virus vector. Choose any product only with your local Agriculture Officer.

Follow the instructions on the product label. Consult your local Agriculture Officer before use.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Papaya – Plant protection, p. 34

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04

Pests and diseases: non-chemical measures in the source

NSKE 5%, neem cake extract 5% and neem oil 3% are listed for several pests. Fruit flies: bag fruits in degradable polythene bags punctured at the bottom. Tristeza virus: plant pre-immunized seedlings and remove and destroy infected trees. Slow decline from citrus root nematode: Pseudomonas fluorescens 20 g per tree, 15 cm deep and 50 cm from the trunk, once in four months.

Source

Crop Production Guide – Horticulture Crops 2020 (Directorate of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Acid Lime – Plant protection (non-chemical measures), pp. 15–16

Region

Tamil Nadu

Last updated

2026-11-04