Pests Of Guava: Symptoms And Management

pests of guava

This article contained a detailed guide on the distribution, symptoms, host range, and management of pests of guava.

Learn about the botany of guava here and health benefits here

Thrips (Red banded thrips)

Thrips are common pests of many plants including guava. They cause a devastating loss in yield and quality of fruits in guava plant.

This insect is not more than 1.5mm in size. The insect is slender in shape and can well be seen using a hand lens.

Thrips have dark brown to black coloration, with the female having a red color on the abdominal segments.

Distribution

  • Tropical countries
  • Non-tropical countries

Other Host Plants

  • Cashew
  • Pineapple
  • apple
  • Cereals

Symptoms

  • Leaves of the plant may be covered in a coarse stippling
  • Leaves may also become slivery
  • Distortion of leaves

Management

  • Early application of reflective muldes during growing season
  • Guava should not be planted near the onion and some other plants such as cereals and garlic
  • Timely application of insecticides

 Tea mosquito bug: Helopeltis antonii (Miridae: Hemiptera)

This is a common insect pest that affects the guava plant.  The Female insect usually inserts 32 eggs into guava plant epidermis of the tender shoot, the axis of an inflorescence, and tender fruits. The egg normally takes a period of 7-8 days. The eggs become elongated and slightly curved with a pair of filaments. Nymphal normally takes around 14-16 days. The entire life cycle of the parasitic phase is completed within 22-25 days.

Distribution and status

  •  Karnataka
  •  Goa
  • Maharashtra
  •  Tamil Nadu

Other Host Plants

  •  Cashew
  • Tea
  • Moringa
  • neem

  Symptoms

The appearance of necrotic lesions on shoots. The lesions may combine to form large patches on leaves. Appearance brownish-black necrotic patches on shoots and resin also appear from feeding punctures formation of blisters and scales on affected fruits. The appearance of rusty corky growth and scab on fruits. Loss of plant vigor and drying of shoots. Fruits shedding and flowers inflorescence.

Management 

  • Timely pruning is required to allow air to get access to the dense canopy
  • Thinning of dense canopy
  • Proper and timely application of preventive measures
  • Use of insecticides

Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne spp)

Nematodes are a group of worms that commonly parasite plants causing a devastating loss in crop yield and quality.

Distribution

  • Nematodes are mostly found around sandy soil

Other Host Plants

  • Nematodes are common host of most commercial and food crops

Symptoms

  • Appearance of small galls that reach up to 3.3cm in diameter
  • Decrease in plant yield and quality
  • Plant may be distorted and underdeveloped
  • Plant leaves and fruits turn yellow and as the impact worsen, the plant later wilt

Management

  • Apply green manure to reduce the soil pores
  • If the roots of guava plant show present of nematodes, replace the soil around the root with a moist soil that is heated for about 140F
  • Use non-fumigans and fumigans to destroy nematodes
  • Plant resistant varies of guava

Fruit fly: Bactrocera diversus (Tephritidae: Diptera)

This is another insect that affects the quality of the fruit of most plants including guava. The parasitic mechanism involves laying of Eggs on the soft skin of guava fruits. The eggs normally take  1 to 4 days. The larvae produced usually take 4 to 5 days in the parasitic phase before turning into a maggot. The  Maggot is pale cream in color, cylindrical in shape, and about  5-8 mm in length.  The Maggot usually pupates in soil, and the pupae usually last for about  7 – 13 days. While the Adult insects are browner in color with greenish-black thorax having a distinguishing yellow marking.

Distribution

  • Most tropical and subtropical countries

Other Host Plants

  • Tomato
  • Orange
  • Mango
  • Apple

symptoms

The insect Maggots get access to fruits and feed on the soft juicy flesh. The fruits that are affected show small cavities with dark greenish punctures. When the affected fruits are cut open, the wriggling maggots are seen inside. Rotting and falling of the affected fruits.

Management   

  • Gather all the affected plants and burn them
  • Apply timely preventive measurs to expose young pupae and destroy them
  • Use effective insecticides
  • Early Harvesting  of fruits when they are slightly hard and greenish

Scale Insect (Green Scale, Green Shield scale )

This is an insect pest of most common crops and fruits including guava.

Distribution

  • Tropical countries
  • Nontropical countries

Other Host Plant

  • Strawberry
  • Pineapple
  • Apple

Symptoms

Leaves of infested guava plants are covered by a sticky substance. The leaves may develop a sooty mold. Loss of fruit quality and general growth. Falling of fruits from the parent plants. The appearance of grey to green flattened scales on plant leaves. The greenish-grey color can also be noticeable on twigs and branches.

Management

  • Collect all infested plant and burn them
  • Timely application of preventive measures such as horicultural soil
  • Introduction  of natural enemies

Anar butterfly / Fruit borer: Virachola (Duodorix)

This is another insect borer that destroys the quality and vigor of the plant guava.  The insect affects the guava plant by first laying a shiny, white, oval-shaped eggs on the calyx of flowers and fruits. The Egg stake around  7 to 10 days. And the larvae produced normally take around  18-47 days. They look like a caterpillar, dark brown, having short hairs and white patches all over their body. the Larvae change to pupae within the fruit but sometimes outside the fruit, where they attach themselves to stalk of fruits. They normally spend around  7-34 days in the parasitic life cycle. Thye is usually male glossy, bluish-violet. The females are brownish-violet having an orange patch on their forewings. Four life cycle is completed in a year.

Distribution

  •  India
  • And other Asian countries

Other Host Plant

  • Aonla
  • Apple
  • Citrus
  • Litchi
  • Peac
  • Mulberry
  • Pear
  • Sapota
  • Tamarind

Symptoms

Larvae of the pest bore inside the young fruits and feed on juicy flesh. The larvae also feed on seeds. The parasitic insect makes the affected fruits more prone to bacterial and fungal attack. The affected fruits usually fall with an unpleasant odor.

Management

  • Gather all affected plants and burn
  • Use of proper preventive mesures
  • Use of insecticides
  • Timely pruning to reduce dense canopy

Castor capsule borer: Conogethes punctiferalis (Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera)

This is a pest of guava that affect guava plant yield and productivity. The Eggs are first laid on the top of leaf axils, flowers inflorescence, tender part of plant shoots, and fruits. The eggs usually take  6-7 days to jump into the larval stage. The Larva produced during the parasitic life cycle is pale reddish-brown having numerous tubercles on the body. The larvae on the other hand take around  12 to 16 days. Pupae stage takes place within the fruit in a silken cocoon. The pupae last for about 4-11 days in the parasitic life cycle. They are Medium in size with bright orange-yellow color and numerous f black dots on wings. The parasitic life cycle takes 25-33 days.

Distribution

  • South India (Major)

Other Host Plant

  • Cardamom
  • Castor
  • Jack

Symptoms

The larva bores into the young fruits and feed on juicy flesh. The fruits that are affected by mumify and fall prematurely.  The holes created by the larvae secret juicy excreta.

Management

  • Gather all afffected plants and burn them
  • Use a preventive measure such as  light trap 1/ha to monitor the activity of adult parasites
  • Spraying of malathion 50 EC at 3 L in 1500 – 2000 L water per ha, two times, one at flower formation and next at fruit set

Mealy bug:  Ferrisia virgata, Maconellicoccus hirsutus  (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

Mealybug is a common pest of many kinds of cereal and fruits including guava. The insect affects fruit quality and general plant vigor. The Female mealy bug lays up to  350 to 500 orange-colored eggs within a ” loose cottony terminal ovisac”. The eggs take around  5-10 days. The orange-colored crawler nymphs consist of both males and females that have 3 and 4 nymphal instars each. The Adult females of mealybug are pinkish and sparsely enclosed within a white wax. One generation is completed in a parasitic phase per month,  however, the entire life cycle can reach some months in winter.

Distribution

  • Tropical countries
  • Subtropical countries

Other Host  Plants

  •  Grapevine
  • Pineapple
  •  Mulberry
  • Custard apple
  • Apple
  • Tamarind
  • Strawberry

Symptoms

  • Stunted plant growth
  • Yellowing of plant leaves
  • Detoriated fruits caused by the sucking of  mealy bug adults and nymphs
  • Rotting of fruits

Management

  • Avoid use of toxic insecticides that can deter mealy bug natural enemies such as Australian lady bird beetle
  • Timely prune your garden
  • Thin regular to reduce dense canopy
  • Use insecticides

Spiraling whitefly: Aleurodicus dispersus (Aleyrodidae: Hemiptera)

 This is another devastating pest of guava that affects fruit quality and plant vigor.  The  Eggs whitefly is usually laid in a spiraling pattern or circular way underneath the surface of guava leaves.  The Egg usually lasts for about  5 to 8 days. The nymphs off whitefly last for about 22 to 30 days. Adults produced take 13 to 21 days. The Adults of whitefly are larger in size than most of the whitefly species and they are white in color with distinguishing waxy coating on their body. The Eyes of the adults are dark reddish-brown. The Forewings are with three distinguishing spots.  The complete life cycle of the insect only lasts for 40 to 50 days.

Distribution

  • Tropical countries
  • Subtropical countries

Other Host Plants

  • Cassava
  • Cotton
  • Chillies
  • Tomato
  • Papaya
  • Acalypha
  • Alternanthra
  • Amaranthus

Symptoms

Adults and nymphs of the pest can be seen forming a large congregation on the lower surface of leaves. While on the leaves, they suck the sap, which causes pre-mature leaf drop, chlorosis, yellow speckling, crinkling and curling.

The sticky sugar secretion released by the adults and nymphs pest may cause the formation of sooty mold fungus.  The adults and nymphs also secrete a waxy-like flocculent and copious white substance, which is sometimes spread by wind and lead to public nuisance.

Management

  • Collect all damaged leaves and affected parts and burn them
  • Plant other hosts such as Abutilon and Euphorbia around the guava plant to reduce the population of pests on your guava plant
  • Use preventive measure such as yellow sticky traps at 15/ha to attract and destroy the adults pest
  • Introduce Chrysoperla carnea predators at 10000/ha into your guava plantation to destroy  all life stages
  • Introduce pest natural enemies  such as Encarsia and Chilocorus nigrita  into the guava plantation
  • Use insceticides like Fish oil rosin soap (FORS) 25g/L,, NSKE 5% or neem oil 0.03% 1ml/l  in 1500 -2000 L per ha., two to three times according to the severity of incidence
  • Do not use synthetic pyrethroids and extending crop growth

Bark caterpillar:  Indarbela tetraonis (Metarbelidae: Lepidoptera)

This is another pest of guava that also affect guava tree fruits and general plant vigor. The pest begins laying eggs in the summer. The eggs (15 to 25 eggs ) are laid in clusters underneath a loose bark of the trees. The  Eggs hatch in around  8 to 10 days. The Larvae hatched creates webs. The larvae feed on wood, which makes zig-zag galleries on the wood alongside filling the wood with frass and excreta.  The Larval phase lasts for about  9 to 11 months and then develop into pupae within the stem. The pupae stage takes around  3 to 4 months.

Distribution

  •  India
  •  Burma
  •  Bangladesh
  • Sri Lanka

Other Host Plants

  • Mango
  • Pomegranate
  • Moringa
  • Zizyphus
  •  Litchi
  • Orange
  • Loquat
  • Bauhinia
  • Mulberry
  • Rose
  • Eugenia.

Symptoms

 Young trees of guava are more susceptible to the pest attack. Caterpillars of the pest bore into the trunk and junction of branches, where they create zig-zag galleries. This is a common symptom of bark caterpillars. They stay hidden in the galleries during the day time, and come out during the night and feed on the bark.  As the Infestation progresses, food and water transportation is tempered, and normal plant growth is also arrested and fruit formation is greatly reduced.

Management

  • Timely apply preventive measures
  • Prune regularly to reduce dense canopy
  • Use of fumigant
  • Introduction of natural enemies

Scarlet Mite: Brevipalpus phoenicus  (Tenuipalpidae: Acari)    

The scarlet mite is also one of the pests of guava. Mite usually lays eggs on guava fruit stalks, calyx, and leaves.  The parasitic phase is completed within 22 days.

Distribution

  • Tropical countries
  • Non-tropical countries

Other Host Plants

  • Apple
  • Strawberry
  • Pineapple

Symptoms

Both nymphs and adults of pest suck the cell sap from fruits, which leads to browning of nodal regions and formation of brown patches on fruit calyx and surface. As the infestation progresses,  the entire surface of guava fruits will split.

Management

  • Gather all damaged plant parts and burn
  • Apply timely preventive measures
  • Prune regularly to reduce dense canopy
  • Introduce natural enemies of  scarlet mite
  • Spray insecticide

Conclusion

We hope this guide you with an excellent insight into understanding the different pests of guava and how to protect guava plants from their effects.

We would like to hear your view about how to protect guava from insects and other pests. So, don’t forget to write to us in the comment section below.

Related:

>Guava Worms and Management

References

“Pests of guava” http://eagri.org/eagri50/ENTO331/lecture19/guava.html retrieve on 22/05/2020

Pulido Blanco VC, Insuasty Burbano OI, Sarmiento-Naizaque ZX, Durán JR. Guava borer worm (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), a limiting pest in guava: biology, lifecycle, and management alternatives. Heliyon. 2019;5(2):e01252. Published 2019 Feb 22. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01252

Sathe, Tukaram. (2015). STORAGE INSECT PESTS OF GUAVA PSIDIUM GUAJAVA LINN. International Journal of Current Research. 7. 21015-21018,. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283210290_STORAGE_INSECT_PESTS_OF_GUAVA_PSIDIUM_GUAJAVA_LINN

Sarwar, Muhammad. (2006). The occurrence of Insect Pests on Guava (Psidium guajava) Tree. 38. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268379548_Occurrence_of_Insect_Pests_on_Guava_Psidium_guajava_Tree