Horticulture officials find prevalence of mealy bug in tapioca, suggest disinfection measures

It is said, tapioca has been cultivated in Tiruvarur district at around 300 ha as manavari crops and the horticulture officials visited the fields in the region and noticed the mealybug infestation in the crops. The officials said that the bug feeds on the plant juices leading to shrinking of leaves and stem of the crop and thereby affecting the crop growth and hence the yield. 

Suggesting disinfection measures as per the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, the officials said, during the initial stage, the farmers should make use of azadirachtin compound with 5 ml in one litre water and sprinkle them across the crop for once every 10 days. If the condition prevails still, the component thiamethoxam should be used in the same method. 

If the crop has severe damage, a spirotetramat component should be used and sprinkled across the plant and the nearby areas so that it would prevent the spread of infestation. The officials also asked the farmers to approach the taluk horticulture offices for further assistance.