Christanand Pednekar
Verna:
Watermelon fields in Verna and surrounding villages in South Goa are infested with Rind worm pest causing damage to watermelon fruits.
Today, Prof Rajan Shelke and Prof Satish Patil from Don Bosco college of Agriculture, Sulcorna, visited many watermelon fields. During inspection, the green colour larvae were seen scraping outer green layer of fruit rind. This scraping has resulted in developing green to greyish blotches on fruits.
The larvae of Rind worm have been collected and brought to laboratory for in depth study of the pest.
The awareness on Rind worm has been created among watermelon growers by explaining them the appearance of Rind worm, feeding habit, symptoms of damage and management strategies.
Reasons for Pest Infestation
• Favorable climate
• Poor weed management
• Monocropping
• Late sowing
• Planting of susceptible varieties
• Poor knowledge on pest identification and management.
Integrated Management of Watermelon Rind worm:
Cultural practices.
1. Field sanitation- destroy crop residue
2. Crop rotation- avoid cultivation of cucurbitaceous crops in the same field over many years and adopt crop rotation.
3. Adopt intercropping in watermelon fields – grow corn and beans in watermelon fields.
4. Grow Rind worm resistant watermelon varieties.
Monitoring-
Physically monitor incidence of Watermelon Rind worm in field as it is not attracted to light traps.
Biological control-
1. Apply bacterial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis to reduce the incidence of the pest.
2. Spray the suspension of entomopathogenic fungi Beauvaria bassiana
3. Install Bird perches.
Insecticides:
1. Spray insecticides only on watermelon leaves.
