Coastal area storm ‘Tau Te’ and red banded caterpillar pest attacks in the plains are causing heavy losses to Indian mango orchard farmers. The devastating storms in Maharashtra and Gujarat have severely damaged the Alphonso and Saffron mango varieties. Not only have the fruits been damaged, but the trees have also been razed to the ground.
Shailendra Rajan, director of the Central Tropical Horticulture Institute (CISH), has stated that mango crops in Maharashtra and Gujarat have suffered a lot. Alphonso mangoes have suffered heavy losses in the state, especially in Ratnagiri and Konkan region. Saffron variety of mangoes have suffered heavy losses in Balsad and Gir region of Gujarat.
According to Shailendra Rajan, director of the Central Tropical Horticulture Institute, Lucknow, outbreaks of red-banded caterpillars have been observed in mango crops in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The impact of this pest has been seen in Bhagalpur in Bihar and eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, an investigation has been ordered for this disease. The outbreak of the disease has been seen in Gorakhpur region of Uttar Pradesh. Fruit borer red banded caterpillars cause extensive damage to the mango crop. Sometimes this loss is up to 42 percent.
