Cotton:

Pests:

• Cotton Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera):
  • Symptoms: Damage to flower buds, bolls, and seeds.
  • Management:  Regular monitoring of crops. Use of Bt cotton (genetically modified to resist bollworms). Chemical control using insecticides like endosulfan, quinalphos, and cypermethrin. Biological control using Trichogramma wasps.

• Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci):
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, stunted growth, and the spread of diseases like Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV).
  • Management:  Use of yellow sticky traps for monitoring. Application of neem-based insecticides or pyriproxyfen. Promoting natural predators like ladybird beetles.

• Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella):
  • Symptoms: Bore into cotton bolls and feed on seeds.
  • Management:  Use of pheromone traps for monitoring. Timely application of insecticides such as chlorpyrifos. Crop rotation with non-host crops.

• Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita):
  • Symptoms: Formation of galls on roots, stunted growth, and reduced yields.
  • Management:  Use of resistant cotton varieties. Soil fumigation with carbofuran or aldicarb. Crop rotation with nematode-resistant crops.

Diseases:

• Bacterial Blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum):
  • Symptoms: Yellowing, water-soaked lesions on leaves, and premature defoliation.
  • Management:  Use of resistant varieties. Regular removal of infected plant material. Use of copper-based fungicides for control.

• Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum):
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, wilting, and vascular discoloration in stems.
  • Management:  Use of resistant cotton varieties. Avoid over-irrigation. Soil solarization or soil fumigation with metam sodium.

• Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV):
  • Symptoms: Leaf curl, yellowing, stunting, and premature leaf drop.
  • Management:  Control of vector pests like whiteflies using insecticides. Use of resistant varieties. Destruction of infected plants.

2. Chickpea:

Pests:

• Chickpea Pod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera):
  • Symptoms: Damage to pods, seeds, and flower buds.
  • Management:  Regular inspection and timely pesticide application (e.g., quinalphos, carbaryl). Use of Trichogramma for biological control.

• Aphids (Aphis craccivora):
  • Symptoms: Curling of leaves, reduced plant vigor, and spread of viral diseases.
  • Management:  Use of neem-based pesticides. Release of ladybird beetles or lacewing larvae for biological control.

• Termites (Odontotermes spp.):
  • Symptoms: Damage to roots and stems, causing plants to collapse.
  • Management:  Use of chlorpyrifos or fipronil for soil treatment. Crop rotation with non-host crops.

• Root-knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.):
  • Symptoms: Formation of galls on roots, stunted growth, and yield loss.
  • Management:  Use of resistant chickpea varieties. Soil fumigation with carbofuran.

Diseases:

• Ascochyta Blight (Ascochyta rabiei):
  • Symptoms: Dark lesions on leaves, stems, and pods.
  • Management:  Seed treatment with carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl. Use of resistant varieties. Remove infected plant debris and practice crop rotation.

• Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris):
  • Symptoms: Yellowing and wilting of plants, vascular browning in stems.
  • Management:  Use of resistant varieties. Crop rotation with non-leguminous crops. Soil fumigation with metalaxyl.

• Chickpea Rust (Uromyces ciceris-arietini):
  • Symptoms: Rust-colored pustules on leaves and stems.
  • Management:  Application of fungicides like tebuconazole or mancozeb. Use of resistant varieties.

3. Sugarcane:

Pests:

• Sugarcane Borer (Scirpophaga excerptalis):
  • Symptoms: Boreholes in the stem, reduced sugar content, and plant lodging.
  • Management:  Use of traps for monitoring. Application of chlorpyrifos or carbofuran.

• White Grubs (Holotrichia spp.):
• • Symptoms: Root damage and wilting of plants.
  • Management:  Soil treatment with carbofuran or chlorpyrifos. Crop rotation with non-host crops.

• Top Shoot Borer (Scirpophaga excerptalis):
  • Symptoms: Damage to the top shoot, causing the plant to die back.
  • Management:  Application of pyriproxyfen or quinalphos. Biological control using Trichogramma.

• Aphids (Pentalonia nigronervosa):
  • Symptoms: Sap-sucking, which weakens plants and promotes the spread of diseases.
  • Management:  Use of neem oil or other eco-friendly pesticides. Encourage natural predators like ladybird beetles.

Diseases:

• Red Rot (Colletotrichum falcatum):
  • Symptoms: Red lesions on stalks, internal tissue rot, and plant death.
  • Management:  Use of disease-free planting material. Application of carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl. Crop rotation with non-host crops.

• Leaf Scald (Xanthomonas albilineans):
  • Symptoms: Yellow streaks on leaves, which gradually turn brown.
  • Management:  Use of resistant varieties. Regular monitoring and destruction of infected plants.

• Sugarcane Smut (Ustilago scitaminea):
  • Symptoms: Formation of large smut balls on the cane.
  • Management:  Use of resistant varieties. Burn infected plant material.

• Downy Mildew (Peronosclerospora sorghi):
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, distortion, and white downy growth on the undersides of leaves.
  • Management:  Application of mancozeb or metalaxyl fungicides. Maintain proper spacing between plants for better air circulation.