Onion: Pests

Pests of National Significance

Insect and mite pests

• Onion thrips: Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)
• Onion maggot: Delia antiqua Meigen (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)
• Bulb mite: Rhizoglyphus robini Claparédè (Sarcoptiformes: Acaridae)
• Eriophyid mite: Aceria tulipae (Keifer) (Prostigmata: Eriophyidae)
• Red spider mite: Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae)

Diseases

• Damping off: Pythium spp., Rhizoctonia solani ( Kühn), Fusarium oxysporum (Schlecht), F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae (Schlecht. emend. Snyder & Hansen); Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.) & S. cepivorum (Berk ) and Colletotrichum sp
• Purple blotch: Alternaria porri (Ellis)
• Stemphylium leaf blight: Stemphylium cesicarium/ vesicarium [(Wallr.) E.G. Simmons]
• Colletotrichum blight/Anthracnose/Twister disease: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides [(Penz.) Penz. and Sacc]
• Onion yellow dwarf: Onion yellow dwarf virus
• Iris yellow spot: Iris yellow spot virus

Weeds

Major kharif

• Pigweed: Amaranthus viridis Hook. F. (Amaranthaceae)
• Swine cress: Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm. (Brassicaceae)
• Black nightshade: Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae)
• Common purselane: Portulaca oleracea L. (Portulacaceae)
• False amaranth: Digera arvensis Forssk. (Amaranthaceae)

• Rabbit/crow foot grass: Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae)
• Crab grass: Digiteria sanguinalis (L.) Willd. (Poaceae)
• Barnyard grass: Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Scop. (Poaceae)

• Purple nutsedge: Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae)
• Flat sedge: Cyperus iria L. (Cyperaceae)

Major rabi weeds

• Lamb’s quarter: Chenopodium album L. (Chenopodiaceae)
• Scarlet pimpernel: Anagallis arvensis L. (Primulaceae)
• Sweet clover: Melilotus indica (L.) All. (Fabaceae)
• Fine leaf fumitory: Fumaria parvifl ora Lam. (Fumariaceae)
• Corn spurry: Spergula arvensis L. (Caryophyllaceae)
• Carrot grass: Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae)

• Blue grass: Poa annua L. (Poaceae)
• Canary grass: Phalaris minor Retz. (Poaceae)
• Chinese love grass: Eragrostis unioloides (Retz.) Nees. Ex Steud. (Poaceae)
• Goose grass: Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner (Poaceae)

• Purple nut sedge: Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae)

Pests of Regional Significance

Insect pests

• Gram pod borer: Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Punjab)
• Tobacco caterpillar: Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
• Cutworm: Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Assam)

Diseases

• Downy mildew: Perenospora destructor (Berkeley) Caspary (Himachal Pradesh, Delhi)
• Fusarium basal rot/ Basal rot: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae Schlecht (Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka)
• White rot: Sclerotium cepivorum Berk.
• Pink root rot: Phoma (Pyrenochaeta) terrestris (Hansen) Gorenz, Walker & Larson, Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. (Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu)
• Black mold: Aspergillus niger van Tiegham
• Green mold: Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius, A. alliaceus Thom & Church
• Bacterial brown rot/ Slippery skin: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Schroter) Migula Pseudomonas allicola Starr and Burk (Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh)
• Soft rot: Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora Jones

IPM for Onion

To know the IPM practices for Onion, click here.

Source: NIPHM and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage