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Pests and Disease control

Although Vanilla is attacked by a number of insect pests, none of them appear to be significant. Some vines are subject to insect attack but the economic consequence is small. Some of the more troublesome pests is Uganda include:

  • Slugs (a type of snail without a shell)
  • Snails
      • Good well selected site
      • Good drainage
      • Light soil with high organic matter
      • Well managed vines
      • Correct shade levels maintained
      • Vines looped through the mulch layer
      • Spacing: If the plants/vines are too close, this will reduce air circulation and increase soil compaction around the vines, giving good conditions for development of disease

      • Slugs and snails damage young plants and shoots.
      Chicken Scratch damage: chickens damage the roots be scratching away the mulched part, exposing the roots causing the plant to wither.
      Termites; a problem in the dry season, termites can kill or distort the support tree.
      Black Insects; these can cause damage to unopened flower buds, causing the flowers to fall off before pollination. Physical removal can control these insects. This is a repetitive and time-consuming activity. These insects transport mealy bug and scale insects, both cause flower abortion (flowers drop off).
      In Mukono, disease, thieves and poor management cause the main problems observed. To keep the pest and disease problems at a low level the following practices need to be observed: A strong plant has the best resistance to pest and disease. Severe pest and disease problems are often a sign of bad management and/or bad site selection. The main remedy for pest and disease problems is improved management (see Error! Reference source not found. (poor management) and Error! Reference source not found. (Good management).
      Remember there will always be a low level of pest and disease damage. A small amount of damage is not a problem – yield losses will be small.
      If you have a pest and disease problems, consider the following checklist:

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