Introduction

Tomato growers prefer buying quality seedlings grown in professional

nurseries to have an assured supply of healthy planting material.

Tomato nursery is infested by many insects pest which affect the

growth, vigor and quality of the seedlings produced in the nursery.

Tomato seedlings need to be protected from pests like whiteflies,

thrips, aphids, leaf hoppers, mites etc. Various methods such as

cultural, mechanical, chemical, biological, can be used for managing

pest population at lower level in tomato nursery.

Aphids

Aphids are soft, oblong insects about 2.5 mm in length. They suck cell sap

from young plant parts and affect their growth.

Management practices:

Removal of residues of earlier crop from nursery site. Use nitrogen fertilizer

in less amounts and FYM in ample amounts.

Spraying solution of soap and cow urine or neem cake extract.

Spraying of Dimethoate @1.7 ml/liter. or Phosphamidon @ 0.5 ml/liter. or

Oxydemeton methyl @ 1ml/liter reduces the pest population.

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Aphids infestation on Tomato seedlings

Aphid infestation on Tomato leaves

Aphids

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)

Adult white fly are 1-2 mm long and are feeds on the leaf sap. It

lays eggs on the underside of leaves and hatch after one week.

Management practices:

•Spraying of Dimethoate 30 EC @1.7 ml/liter or Phosphamidon 95

WS @ 0.5 ml/liter or Oxydemeton methyl 25 EC@ 1ml/liter.

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)

Whitefly infestation on Tomato seedlings

Whitefly infestation on Tomato leaves

Thrips

Thrips are very small insects about 0.5 to 2 mm long. They lay eggs

on leaves. Larvae appear after about 10 days. Larvae and adult

thrips suck leaf sap resulting into silvery spots on the leaves. A few

thrips species acts as vectors of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV).

Management practices:

•Deep ploughing of the nursery site in summer can kill pupating

thrips.

•Spraying with soap or neem cake extract is useful. However,

spraying of Dimethoate 30 EC @1.7 ml/liter is very effective.

Eggs and larvae of thrips on Tomato seedlings

Thrips infestation on Tomato leaves

Thrips

Leafhoppers (Empoasca fabae)

Leaf hopper are about 2-3 mm long and walk sideways when

disturbed. They lay green banana-shaped eggs on the underside of

the leaves. Nymphs and adults suck cell sap from leaf cells. In severe

infestation the entire leaf turns light green in color.

Management practices:

•Using leaf hopper resistant cultivars.

•Spraying Neem or Karanj or Pyrethrum extracts.

• Spraying Lambda-cyhalothrin 0.5 ml/liter or Acetamiprid 0.5 ml/iter.

Eggs and larvae of thrips on Tomato seedlings

Thrips infestation on Tomato leaves

Leaf hoppers (Empoasca fabae)

Mites (Tetranychus species.)

Mites are spider-like insects which forms an airy web of thin threads.

Mites are smaller than 1 mm, often yellow, red or orange in color and

lay eggs on the underside of leaf. Larvae and adult insects suck sap

from the leaves and stems which turns yellow and dries. The mite

infestation and damage is more in summer and dry season.

Management practices:

•Mites infestation is less in monsoon.

•Spray with soap or kerosene-soap solution.

•Spraying of Dicofol can reduce mites populations.