Abstract
Strawberry production as a winter crop in Pakistan on a commercial scale is a recent one, only 1.5 to 2 decades old. Yet its sustainability is threatened by pests and diseases. The strawberry aphid is not only its most serious pest but also a number one carrier of virus. The damages include curled leaves, yellowish spots and the sticky honey dew excreted by the pest. A black sooty mold often develops on the leaves reducing photosynthesis and resulting probably in the reduction of fruit yield. The strawberry mold yellowedge virus (MYEV) and strawberry crinkle virus (CV) often cause severe damages to the plant and hence tremendously reduce the yield. The use of pesticides in a very large amount is also not a solution because its regular use produces resistance in the pest. Moreover, after the restrictions imposed by WTO in a very near future, the efforts to promote the export of this production would be in danger. The only remedy left is the continuous and strict scouting and efficient IPM strategies as discussed in the results and discussion and surveying of the plant for the pest occurrence and the, strict inspection of the incoming trans-plants. Monitoring of the aphids should start early in the crop season and should continue in the whole duration of the crop and cultural and mechanical control management steps especially checking the intrusion of the pests from the nearby areas should continue until the harvest time. These procedures hopefully would make this ingenious and most valuable crop cultivation in Pakistan sustainable and successful.
