| PEST
AND DISEASES |
Pineapple
are subject to a minimum of pests and diseases
if given proper care. The pests
most likely to attack pineapple plants are mealybugs,
scale and mites. All can be removed by washing the leaves
with soapy water then rinsing after with clear water,
or spray with an insecticide. Be sure to follow the directions
on the label when using insecticides. The
disease most likely to encounter
is heart rot caused by fungi. In heart rot, the central
leaves turn black and are easily pulled out of the plant.
When heart rot occurs, the plant can sometimes be saved
by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of the
plant. If this stops the infection, a side shoot will
start growing. This shoot will then become pineapple plant
and will eventually flower and form a fruit. Below are
some examples of pineapple's diseases and pests.
Diseases of Pineapple
• Heart and root rot
(Phytophthora cinnamomi)
• Heart
rot (P. parasitica)
• Root
rot (Pythium spp.)
• Black
rot (Ceratocystis paradoxa)
• Butt
rot (Thielaviopsis paradoxa)
• Fruitlet
core rot (Penicillium funiculosum, Fusarium moniliforme
var. subglutinans)
• Pink
disease of Fruit (Acetomonas spp.)
• Pineapple
mealybug wilt (probable virus)
• Yellow
spot virus (tomato spotted wilt virus)
• Bacterial
diseases (Erwinia carotovora, E. chrysanthemi)
• Nematodes
(Meloidogyne spp., Rotylenchulus reniformis)
Insect Pests of Pineapple
• Scales
(Diaspis bromeliae, Melanaspis bromeliae)
•
Thrips, vectors of yellow spot virus (Thrips tabci,
Frankliniellaoccidentalis)
•
Mites (Steneotarsonemus ananas, Dolichotetranychus
floridanus)
•
Mealybugs (Dysmicoccus brevipes, D. neobrevipes)
•
Ants, associated with mealybugs (Pheidole megacephala,
Iridomyrmex humilis, Solenopsis geminata)
•
Symphylids (Scutigerella sakimurai, Hanseniella unguiculata)
|
|
