The picture you are seeing at the top of this article is a scale-infested mango leaf. I took this photo zooming in so that you get a better view. In this guide, I will tell you about the white spots on mango leaves, what they are, and how to treat them.
Note: Every white spots are not due to the same reason thus I am adding some more pictures in this article.
What can cause white spots on mango leaves?
There are multiple reasons, like:
- Mealybugs
- Scale
- Spider mites damaged leaves
- Whiteflies
But don't worry, most of them are easy to identify, and I will highlight the most common white spot on a mango leaf.
Have a look at this picture first-
This is nothing but a white mango scale.
When I noticed this on my mango tree, my first thought was whiteflies. But to be sure, I took a needle to examine this by touching the white substance.
I confirmed these are not white flies. To know more about detail about whiteflies, you may check this guide: Whiteflies and treatment
You might be wondering, How do I know that?
Whiteflies usually move and can even fly. The scale insects have a needle-like mouth part, and they attach that part to the leaf. Once attached, they don't move or run away.
Once they attach the mouth part to the leaf or any other part of a plant/tree, they start sucking the nutrients.
Once these white scales die, fungi come into action. This is how sooty mold builds.
If the white spots look different in your case, you may check: mealybugs, Spidermites, and powdery mildew guides. The links have pictures too (from my own garden).
Do you know that these white spots may also appear on the mango branch as well as on the fruits?
How to treat these white scale spots on mango leaves?
If you leave these insects untreated, they will damage rapidly. But the treatment is easier than you think.
I will start with the simple steps first.
You are lucky if your mango tree is small and only a few leaves are infested. You may manually wipe off the scales with a soft cloth, sponge, or toothbrush.
You may also prune the heavily infested leaves or branches.
These are manual steps, and it takes a lot of time. My mango trees are big, and I follow the method below:
In 1 liter of water, add 1–2 teaspoons of mild liquid soap (acts as an emulsifier to mix oil with water) and 5 ml (about 1 teaspoon) of neem oil. That's it.
Maintain this ratio and spray on the leaves in the early morning.
DO NOT miss the bottom side of the leaves.
If you are growing mangoes commercially and the problem is serious, you may try this:
Horticultural oil or systemic insecticide labeled for mango and scale insects, but only if natural remedies don’t work.
I usually don't prefer this as it harms pollinators. If you do not have any other options, then use insecticidal spray after the blooming season is over.
An untreated scale-infested mango leaf will look like this:
The fungi are enjoying the infested leaf.
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