Effect of Apsylla cistellata Buckton infestation on yield and growth of mango trees

The mango trees sprayed with monocrotphos (0.04%) and dimethoate (0.03%) resulted into lesser number of shoot galls i.e. 16.37 and 20.50 during 2002 and 12.50 and 14.12 galls/10 shoots during 2003, respectively in comparison to 53.50 and 38.25 galls/10 shoots in control plants during respective years. Most of the galls (>90%) in monocrotophos and dimethoate treated plams were nymph free thereby resulting in higher yield i.e. 185.0 and 181.2 kg/tree, respectively. However, in control plants only 1.2 number of galls out of 10 selected galls were nymph free, hence lower yield (91 kg/tree) was recorded. Further the mean number of dried shoots was higher in control plants (5.8) and only 1.2 number of shoots out of 10 infested shoots were converted into reproductive shoots in comparison to 5.0 and 4.2 in monocrotophos and dimethoate treated plants, respectively.