15-30 days: 2.0 kg 19-19-19 /fertigation (6 fertigations)

33-51 days: 3.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO₃+1.0 kg CaNO₃/fertigations (7 fertigations)

54-90 days: 4.0 kg 19-19-19 +1.0 kg KNO₃+1.0 kg CaNO3/fertigation (13 fertigations)

(85 kg 19-all + 20 kg KNO₃+ 20 kg CaNO₃)

Adult beetles are mainly responsible for the damage of the plant above ground, attacking on the leaves, flowers and fruits. Making holes and causing death or retardation of growth. In case of heavy infestation, re-sowing is required to be done. Larvae live in the soil and feed on the roots and stem of the plant. Fruits and leaves are also damaged when they come in contact with soil.

Preventing measures like burning of old creapers, ploughing and harrowing of field after harvest of the crops are recommended for the destruction of adult, grubs and pupae.

Collection and destruction of beetles in early stage of infestation.

Use wood ash. Add ½ cup of wood ash and ½ cup of lime in 4 L water; leave to stand for some hours and then strain; test on a few infested plants first to make adjustment to the strength before going into large-scale spraying.

Spray Dichlorvos 76 EC (1.2 ml/l)

Adult leafminers are small (2- 3 mm, 1/12- 1/8 in.), shiny black and yellow flies Eggs are laid in the leaves, leaving small bronzed puncture marks Females pierce the leaves to feed on plant sap Larvae tunnel within the leaf tissue forming the characteristic mines

Planting

Monitor plant leaves closely. At the first sign of tunneling, squeeze the leaf at the tunnel between two fingers to crush any larvae. Done soon enough, this killing larva can allow plants to survive minor outbreaks. Pick off and destroy badly infested leaves in small gardens. Repeat at weekly interval 3-4 times.

Use yellow or blue sticky traps to catch egg laying adults. Cover soil under infested plants with plastic mulches to prevent larvae from reaching the ground and pupating.

Apply neem cake (containing 8-10% oil) @100 kg/acre in 8-10 heaps 25 days after germination.

Spray pulverized neem seed powder extract (PNSPE) (4%) or neem/pongamia soap (1%), if required only.

The female melon fruit fly pierces the skins of the young fruits to lay the eggs just below the surface. After hatching, the grubs begin to bore into and feed on the pulp of the fruit causing soft rot in part or all the fruit in case of serious infestation.

Remove all the infested fruits and destroy.

Bagging: Each fruit is enclosed in an appropriately sized bag tied around the fruit stem. Alternatively, newspaper of an appropriate size can be rolled to enclose the fruit, then tied both around the fruit stem and at the free end. Bagging should begin when the fruit is small, shortly after the flower parts have fallen. This is one of the most effective method even though it is tedious. Highly recommended for your kitchen garden.

Soil application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha immediately after germination and repeat at flowering followed by sprays of neem soap 1% or PNSPE 4% at 10 days interval after flowering.

Erect cuelure (para pheromone trap) 12 per acre to attract and trap male fruit flies.

Crush pumpkin 1 kg and add 100 gm jaggery and 10 ml Malathion and keep in the plot (4-6 places per acre). Adults are attracted to the fermenting pumpkin and lay eggs and get killed. Repeat the process 2-3 times in the cropping season.

Give bait splash, 10g jaggary + Deltamethrin 1.0ml/l; 40 splashes/acre.

Spider mites usually extract the cell contents from the leaves using their long, needle- like mouthparts. This results in reduced chlorophyll content in the leaves, leading to the formation of white or yellow speckles on the leaves. In severe infestations, leaves completely desiccate and drop off. The mites also produce webbing on the leaf surfaces in severe conditions.

Check the undersides of leaves for mites, their eggs, and webbing; you’ll need a hand lens to identify them. To observe mites more closely, shake a few off the leaf surface onto a white sheet of paper. Once disturbed, they will move around rapidly.

Prune leaves, stems and other infested parts of plants well past any webbing and discard in trash (and not in compost piles).

Spray Pulvarized Neem Seed Powder Extract (PNSPE) (4%) or Wettable Sulphur 80WP (3g/l) or Dicofol 18.5 EC (2.5 ml/l) or  Quinalphos 25 EC (1.5ml/l)  or  Fenazaquin 10 EC (2.5 ml/l) or Fenpropathrin 30 EC (0.3 ml/l).

Spray lower surface of the leaves where mites are generally found.

Thrips The adult and larval stages feed by piercing the plant surface with their mouthparts and sucking the contents of plant cells. This causes white or brown spots on the leaves where the plant cells have been destroyed. In cucumber fruit, feeding creates severe distortion and curling as well as white streaks.

Spray Pulvarized Neem Seed Powder Extract PNSPE (4%) or neem/ pongamia soap ( 8-10g/l) at 10 days interval

Spray Fipronil 5 SC (1.0ml/l) or Emamectin benzoate 5 SG (0.125g/l)  or Dimethoate 30 EC (2.0 ml/l)

Larva folds the leaves and scrapes the green matter. As a result the leaves get dried up. It can also feed on ovaries of flower; sometimes bore into young developing fruits.

Soil application of neem cake @ 250 kg/ha immediately after germination and at flowering followed by sprays of neem soap (1 %) or NSPE (4%) at 10 days interval

Disease appears on all foliar part as white to dull white, powdery growth. This white growth quickly covers most of the leaf surface and leads to heavy reduction in photosynthesis area.

Apply Wettable Sulphur (3.0g/l) or Flusilazole (0.3 ml/l) or Dinocap (1.0 ml/l) or Hexaconazole (0.5 ml/l) or Difenconazole (0.6 ml/l) three-four times at 15 days interval

Disease appears on all foliar part as white to dull white, powdery growth. This white growth quickly covers most of the leaf surface and leads to heavy reduction in photosynthesis area.

Spray pre packed mixture of Pyroclostrobin + Metiram (2.5g/l) or Chlorothalonil (2.0 g/l) or Mancozeb (2.0 g/l) or Fosetyl-Al + Propineb (2.0g/l) or Cymoxanil+ Mancozeb (2.0 g/l) at 10 days interval

Symptoms of downy mildew on cucumber begin as light yellow spots with a water-soaked appearance on the leaf underside. At this early stage some spots already have the characteristic angular shape for this disease as symptoms do not expand past major veins. The white spot is physical injury.

Follow Bio-Intensive Disease Management practices. Drenching of Bordaux mixture (1.0 %) or Pre packed mixture of Carbendazim+ Mancozeb (2.0 g/l)

Infection of older plants is more common usually leading to wilt of the entire plant. Initially, the lower leaves of the plant wilt at mid-day and recover during the evening and at night. Eventually more and more leaves wilt until the plant is totally affected.

Follow Bio-Intensive Disease Management practices. Drench pre packed mixture of Carbendazim+ Mancozeb (2.0 g/l).