Introduction

Tea, one of the world's most beloved beverages, faces numerous challenges from pests that can affect both quantity and quality of yield. Effective pest management in tea gardens is not just essential for maintaining crop health but also for ensuring sustainable production practices. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the common pests that plague tea plants, explore integrated pest management strategies, and highlight sustainable approaches that promote both environmental stewardship and productivity. Join us as we uncover the secrets to safeguarding tea plantations against pests and ensuring a thriving harvest year after year.

Tea mosquito bug: Helopeltis theivora 

It is a serious pest of a tea.

The damage more in most shaded areas.

Symptoms of damage:

Adults and nymphs suck the sap from buds, young leaves and tender stems

Puncturing the plant tissues with their needle like rostrum and inject toxic saliva.

Punctures appear as reddish-brown spots.

Leaves curl up, badly deformed and shoots dry up.

Identification of the pest:

Adult - black colour with red thorax, black and white abdomen and greenish brown wings.

Management:

Spray Clothianidin 50 WDG 120 g/ha or Thiacloprid 21.7 SC 375 ml/ha or Thiamethoxam 25 WG 100g/ha or Bifenthrin 8 SC 500 ml/ha

Tea tortix: Homona coffearia

Symptoms of damage:

Caterpillars make leaf nests by webbing the leaves using silken threads Feed from inside the leaf nest.

Young larvae prefer tender leaves.

Older larvae are seen in mature leaves.

Identification of the pest:

Larva - green in colour

Pupae - initially green colour and turns to reddish brown

Adult - brown coloured and bell shaped in outline.

Management:

Spray chlorpyriphos or fenitrothion 2 ml/lit.

Thrips: Scirtothrips bispinosus

Symptoms of damage:

Thrips prefer young leaves and buds.

Leaf surface becomes uneven, curled and matty.

Feeding marks on the unopened buds - parallel brown lines on the leaves.

Identification of the pest:

Adults - brown abdomen.

Management:

Spary any one of the following insecticides

Dimethoate 30 EC 2 ml/lit.

Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 2 ml/lit.

Deltamethrin 2.8 EC 120 – 150 ml/ha

Azadirachtin 5 W/W 200 ml/ha

Quinalphos 25 EC 760 ml/ha

Summary

Tea plantations are susceptible to several destructive pests. The tea mosquito bug wreaks havoc in shaded areas, sucking sap and deforming leaves. Tea tortix caterpillars build webbed nests and devour leaves, while thrips leave young leaves scarred and uneven. Management strategies exist for each pest, but chemical sprays should be a last resort. A combination of methods, including using resistant tea varieties and encouraging natural predators, is a more sustainable approach to keeping these pests in check.

FAQs:

What are some potential downsides of using chemical sprays to control tea pests, besides harming beneficial insects?

The passage mentions using resistant tea varieties. Are there any other cultural practices that can help manage tea pests?

The information focuses on three specific pests. Are there other important tea pests to be aware of?