Yellow mite (broad mite)
Tip leaves turn small, thick, curled down and bronze, and the shoot stops growing, while the mites are too tiny to see.
Crops it attacks
Where the damage shows
When to act
Look at the newest leaves and flower buds of 20 plants twice a week with a hand lens. Act at the first curled, bronzed or brittle shoot tips, since the damage shows only after the mites have spread.
What to spray
Active ingredients only, never brands. The IRAC group tells how it works: switch to a different group next time, so the pest does not learn to survive it. Spray only when the damage is worth the cost, and only with products registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for your crop. Follow the label. The Shopee and Lazada links only show who sells something with that active ingredient, not a recommendation of any seller or product.
On labels for it, but not advised
- Alpha cypermethrin: Pyrethroids do not control broad mites and kill the predatory mites that do.
How to prevent it
- Plant clean seedlings. Broad mites travel on transplants.
- Pull out and burn the first plants with twisted, bronzed tips.
- Work in clean rows before infested ones. Mites ride on hands and clothes.
- Remove weed hosts and old crop remains around the field.
- Avoid pyrethroid sprays, which kill the predatory mites that hold broad mites down.
Natural enemies and biological help
- Predatory mites such as Amblyseius and Neoseiulus eat broad mites. Leave them unsprayed.
Where this comes from
Not sure it is this one?
Many pests look alike. Send a photo to Anee, the smart farm technician in anee.io. She reads it with your crop, its age and the weather, and tells you what it most likely is and what to do first. In Tagalog or English.