ManagementActivity Pre-planting Common cultural practices: Harrowing, levelling and application of FYM to the soil help in achieving to conserve soil moisture, and ensure excellent bearing of fruits and resist to insect invasion later Field sanitation, rogueing Destroy the alternate host plants Apply manures and fertilizers as per soil test recommendations Nutrients Nutrient should be applied on the basis of soil test report and recommendation for the particular agroclimatic zone. Prepare land by ploughing and harrowing. The pits are dug in summer about a fortnight before planting. Dig pits of about 1 m x 1 m x 1 m at a distance of 10 m x 10 m apart (high density planting of 5 X 5 m up to the age of 13 years may be adopted). Fill the pits with top soil mixed with 25 kg FYM treated with Trichoderma cultures Weeds Plough the field before planting to destroy existing weeds in the field. Remove existing weeds in and around the pits at the time of planting. Soil borne pathogens, resting stages of insects Cultural control: Grow resistant/tolerant varieties, if any. Deep summer ploughing of field to control resting stages of insect pests. Avoid excessive watering and provide proper drainage in the field. Planting Nutrients Planting is done in pits already filled with top soil and farm yard manure. Apply 20 g each of Azospirillum and mycorrhizae per plant during planting. Weeds Remove weeds from the pit, if any at the time of plant Use fibrous biological mulch to reduce the weed problems and conserve the soil moisture. Adopt the intercropping of recommended crops between the rows of sapota depending upon the stage of orchard e.g. banana, papaya, pine apple, cocoa, French bean, peas, tom Insect Diseases Mechanical Practices Neem cake must be incorporated @ 40kg/acre, to protect from pest attack. Growing of forage crops as a mixed crop, helps in "maintaining ecological balance". Vegetative stage (2nd to 4th years) Common cultural practices: Collect and destroy diseased and insect infected plant parts. Provide irrigation at critical stages of the crop Avoid water stagnation. Enhance parasitic activity by avoiding chemical spray, when 1-2 larval parasitoids are observed Common mechanical practices: Collection and destruction of eggs and early stage larvae Handpick the older larvae during early stages The infested curd and seed capsules may be collected and destroyed Handpick the gregarious caterpillars and the pupae which are found on leaves and destroy them in kerosene mixed water. Use light trap @ 1/acre and operate between 6 pm and 10 pm Erecting of bird perches @ 20/acre for encouraging predatory birds such as King crow, common mynah etc. Set up bonfire during evening hours at 7-8 pm Common biological practices: Conserve natural enemies through ecological engineering Augmentative release of natural enemies Nutrients Apply fertilizers according to the age of plant as mentioned below; Age of the treeNitrogen Phosphorus Potash (grams /tree) 1-3 Years 50 25 75 4-6 Years 100 40 150 7-10 years 200 80 300 11 years and onward 400 160 450 Weeds Cultural control: Use black polythene mulch for suppressing the weeds growth. Remove the existing weeds around the pits by using hand tools as and when required. Inter-cultivation by suitable plough or cultivator between the rows of sapota plants immediately after onset of the monsoon and may be repeated after suitable interval. Leaf webber Cultural control: Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Biological control: Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5 % Scale insects and mealy bug Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Biological control: After two weeks release 20 predator beetles viz., Cryptolaemus montrouzieri beetle per tree Flowering stage Nutrients Apply recommended micronutrients, if symptoms are observed. Micro-nutrients viz. ZnSO4 (0.5%) and H2BO3 (0.1%) are sprayed in order to increase growth and yield characters Weeds Remove weeds around the plants. Use straw or plastic Mulch to avoid weed growth and to maintain soil moisture for longer period Bud borer Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Fruit laden phase Leaf webber Same as in vegetative stage. Sapota caterpillar Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Cultural control: Field sanitation Free from weeds and debris Mechanical control: Collect and destroy the egg mass Burning the groups of larvae found on tree trunks with torches Harvesting stage Fruits should be harvested in the month of January Fruit fly Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Mechanical control: Collect fallen infested fruits and dispose them by dumping in a pit and covering with soil. Raking the soil around the tree to expose the pupa Monitor and mass trap the fruit flies with methyl eugenol traps. Use bait spray combining any one of the insecticides and molasses Seed Borer Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices. Mechanical control Sanitation: Sanitation is to be maintained for eliminating the sources of seed borer infestation. Collection and destruction of the off season stray mature sapota fruits after main harvest till November will bring down the pest incidence Source:NIPHM; Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage