Brown Spots & Curled Leaves on My Plants

Plants are susceptible to a number of pathogenic and cultural disorders. The nature of damage on a plant is usually a clear indication of the problem. Brown and curling foliage on plants often indicates the presence of a sucking pest.

Identification
- Aphids are common plant-specific pests that infest nearly all plants including trees and shrubs. The oval, soft insects occur in various colors and may be winged or wingless. Some species are coated with a wax or wool-like secretion. All aphids have antennae and are long legged.
Damage
- Aphids have special long mouths that they use to suck plant sap and plant juice from soft plant areas like foliage, flowers and stems. Aphid feeding results in spots on foliage accompanied by distortion and curling. New shoot growth is stunted. The pests secrete a sticky substance as they feed. This leads to the development of sooty mold fungus on infested plants.
Management
- Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizer on plants. Introduce natural predators such as lacewing, syrphid fly and lady beetle in infested plants to control aphids. Chemical control options include the use of permethrin, malathion and acephate.

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Brown Spots & Curled Leaves on My Plants

Identification

Damage

Management