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 CULTURAL
OPERATIONS such as plucking, pruning, shade
regulation and weed control are manipulated to reduce
the incidence of pests. Tea mosquito laid large
number of eggs on the broken ends of plucked shoots.
Intensive removal of stalks during plucking is recommended
to reduce the incidence of this past. Weeds offer
excellent hiding places and serve as alternate hosts
for Helopeltis and red spider mites. Growth of weeds
and wild host plants in and around tea fields may
be controlled and this will help to reduce the incidence
of pest. Severity of attack by shot hole borer increases
with the age of the field from pruning. Therefore,
it is advised to maintain the length of pruning
cycles to 4 years in mid elevation areas. Application
of higher rate of K2O @ 1:2 ratios to the soil in
the first year of the pruning cycle significantly
reduced the infestation by shot hole borer.
BIOCONTROL
AGENTS Minor status of many of the tea pests
is mainly due to the influence of the biocontrol
agents. So far, more than one hundred species of
predatory and parasitic insects and mites have been
reported from the tea estates of southern India.
Data are also available on the bioecology of the
major parasitoids and predators. An exhaustive list
of natural enemies of tea pests is available in
Journal of Plantation Crops, 2001, 29 (2): 1-10.
 USE
OF BOTANICALS Formulations containing azadirachtin
have been found effective against pink and purple
mites and caterpillar pests such as flushworms and
leaf rollers. Use of these neem formulations are
recommended mainly to save natural enemies and to
reduce the load of synthetic pesticides on tea.
USE
OF INORGANIC COMPOUNDS, HYDROCARBON OILS
formulations of sulphur is effective against red
spider mites. Recently, spray oil from paraffinic
base has been found effective against red spider
mites. Since this oil does not leave any residues
in tea, it is incorporated into the mite control
programme in tea.
INTEGRATED
PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) During the last one
decade, we have made considerable efforts to incorporate
non-chemical control strategies and to evolve an
integrated pest management programme for tea. The
package of IPM practices for tea has been presented
at the National Workshop, organised by the Directorate
of Plant Protection, Govt. of India and the same
has been published in the Planters Chronicle April
2002 issue( 98 (4) : 107-125). |
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