Papaya farming is lucrative but note this: Red spidermites can make you never to engage this crop farming forever. Its the most dangerous pest in papaya as far as I know.
It gets worse during the dry season and where crops aren’t well fed or watered.
Intercropping watermelon, beans,tomatoes with papaya can increase high chances of failing to control this pest.
They feed on the underside of leaves, sucking out the cell sap resulting in spot chlorosis on the upper leaf surface. The leaves develop rust like appearance and get perforated on heavy infestation. The final stages of infestation will lead to the plants shedding all the leaves leaving behind a naked trunk/stem which will rarely survive.
The mites have an oval-shaped body that varies in colour from greenish-yellow, to virtually transparent, brown, and red-orange with two dark spots visible on either side of the abdomen and is characterised by webs under the leaves during their active stages.
If possible prevent your plants from red spidermites’ infestation. This is because of their characteristic of developing chemical resistance in a short span of time.
prevention and treatment can be done using chemicals with Abamectin as the active compound such as Dynamec, mitekill, Alonze; or a mixture of Abamectin and acetamiprid e.g Knockbectin.
Mix the above with an adjutant/sticker such as integra, leafshiner etc for quick response.
N:B The above products are in the Kenyan market. Try to find products with the same kind of API in your zone.
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