Melia dubia protection measures

Red spider mite: Presence of chlorotic spots which coleasce into pale patches indicated the presence of infestation. These critters can damage plants by sucking on the tissues, mainly in the leaves. The mites often cluster on the undersides of the leaves.

Bormia variegate or Baculovirus caterpillar: The larvae consumes the entire green tissues of leaf, leaving only the mid vein and some basal portion of leaf. It is more in May-July and Oct-Dec season.

They occurs in two colour forms, green with dark lines or pale yellowish brown and has a full size of 2.0 to 2.5 inches. The larvae consumes the leaf completely leaving the mid vein and some basal portion of leaf. The larval attack on the plant was in peak during June to October. During 2011. Screening of viral infected larvae was used for isolating baculovirus at Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat


Use Manjastra or Guruastra solution to prevent infestation. See my blog for preparation of Manjastra and Guruastra.

Preparation of GURUASTRA

Preparation: GURUASTRA is an effective and less-cost organic liquid fertiliser. The making of FAA is a easiest and eco-friendly process. It needs Fish and Solid Jaggery. Do not use liquid type of Jaggery for this, use only Solid. GURUASTRA has been developed by an organic expert Shri Manjunath Honnappanavar (Holalu) with multiple benefit of flower inducer, micro-nutrients and traces

Take recommended quantity of Fish, Tomato, Tender Coconut water and Jaggery, for example for 1 KG Fish, 1 KG of Tomato, 1 Lit of Tender Coconut water and 3 KG Jaggery, use small type fish.

Slice solid Jaggery, cut the fish into small pieces, crush the Tomato with tender coconut water. Take an air tight plastic Jar/Bottle and the put the mixture in it. Mix This well and store in a cool dry place. Keep it away from direct sun light. You need to keep this for 30 days. Then filter the waste and remove it, Take the liquid portion and save It. You need to keep this upto 6 Months

Application: Apply this to soil or to the leaves of the plant. Do not directly apply this, You need to dilute this, 2-5 ml of the fish amino acid can use with 1 litre water. Application of Guruastra on plant/leaves has many benefits then the drenching.

How it works: Guruastra is suited as a foliar application for boosting crops from early to late stages of maturity. Trace elements, minerals and complex organic compounds are absorbed into the plant’s leaf surface and are rapidly translocated to the roots. Foliar absorption is immediate. Increased brix (sugar/mineral) levels can be measured within 20 minutes. Residues left on the leaf surface help suppress insect and fungal attack by encouraging fungal bacteria and reducing insects leaf palatability - most pest insects dislike plants with higher brix levels.

Preparation of Chemical free Plant growth Hormone at low cost by using local resources (MANJASTRA)

Normally, many farmers used chemical based plant growth hormone in production of food, in fact many agricultural scientist recommend chemical base plant growth hormone in cultivation practices. Using chemical base hormone has many implication on health, ecology and also high cost for farmers.

After knowing the problems we recommend following recipe to make plant growth hormone by using local resources (MANJATRA)

MANJASTRA has been developed by an organic expert Shri. MANJUNATH HONNAPPANAVAR (HOLALU) with combination of micro-nutrients, repellents, amino-acids and traces

Egg        - 12
Jaggery - 3 Kg or Honey - 2 Kg
Banana  - 12
Red Onion    - 1 Kg
Water    - 5 litres

Slice and crush the above materials, add all the materials in to non-metal container for minimum of three days. Keep rotate minimum of two times in a day to remove the excess gas.

Sieve the material with doubled folded cloth, make sure that all solid matters should not go into solution. Mix the mother solution with 200 litres of water and spray on any crops  

For better result of MANJASTRA: 1st spray on blossom, 2nd spray on seed formation and 3rd spray on 30 to 60 before harvest.

Economics: Rs. 150/- per barrel, 4-8 barrel is sufficient for one acre of crop, 3 times spray, so totally 12-24 barrel per acre of crop, total expenditure is Rs.1800 -3600/-

Yield increment: 15-22% increment in overall