Disease/pest on solanum vine

[khabbab]

Hi all.

This solanum vine i grew from seed around 2 years old but this disease or pest i am unable to get rid of. The leaves badly curl and after few months, growth is stopped. I am spraying imidacloprid mixed with an antifungus powder every 10 days on leaves but it seems not enough. I removed the leaves last month and new leaves emerged but new leaves seem to be infected as well. Kindly advise.

[M Farooq]

Hi all.

This solanum vine i grew from seed around 2 years old but this disease or pest i am unable to get rid of. The leaves badly curl and after few months, growth is stopped. I am spraying imidacloprid mixed with an antifungus powder every 10 days on leaves but it seems not enough. I removed the leaves last month and new leaves emerged but new leaves seem to be infected as well. Kindly advise.

It doesn't look like a fungus because there are no coloured sports or externally visible signs. Also it reappears in new leaves make me think if it is a viral disease. You may google "leaf curl virus", and if this is a viral diseases, sad to say there is no cure like cancer because the virus becomes a part of the genetic material :-(

Examine the leaf surface as well, there is a tiny worm which lives inside the leaf surface but the symptom is that it leaves it's trail.

[Izhar]

Broad mite damage, imidacloprid is useless on mites.. i was out of pesticide last week and my brugmansia was under attack of spidermites, i used mortien aerosol and all the mites were gone with just one spray (just my experience)

I would suggest to use any miticide or all purpose pesticide.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Curly & ugly foliage these are mites.Khabbab use Bayer,s Oberon.its very effective against mites & white fly.its always in my kit.i use it against mites on marigolds.Mites are very common problem in marigolds specially African type.

[M Farooq]

Broad mite damage, imidacloprid is useless on mites.. i was out of pesticide last week and my brugmansia was under attack of spidermites, i used mortien aerosol and all the mites were gone with just one spray (just my experience)

I would suggest to use any miticide or all purpose pesticide.

Izhar, I am curious as to what is a confirmatory diagnositic signs for broad mites? The mites must be visible underneath the leaf surface. And secondly, I am looking for name of the larva (looks like a very tiny white worm) thats resides underneath the leaves surface. It leaves its "walking" tracks in the leaves. Do you know which bug is that?

[Izhar]

The broad mites are nearly microscopic, much smaller then the red spider mites and dont make web like spider mites, the leaf curl is the main symptom.
May be you are talking about leaf miner... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner

[khabbab]

Thanks everyone. Could not find BAyer oberon suggested by umar. Only available thing is lambda-cyhalothrin, how effective it is against mites?

[Izhar]

It might work..

[M Farooq]

The broad mites are nearly microscopic, much smaller then the red spider mites and dont make web like spider mites, the leaf curl is the main symptom.
May be you are talking about leaf miner... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner

Thanks Izhar, it is indeed leaf miner. So it turns out that leaf mining is a stage of many insects rather than a single pest!