The plant has finally struck back!. The pappaya (Carica papaya) in my backyard did escape the plant 'dracula".
.....a few posts earlier I had written about the devastating mealy bug menace in pappaya species here. Hundreds of pappaya fruits first looked as if they had changed their green coat to white..these white cottony stuff of the mealy bugs covered it fully..Slowly the fruits shrivelled and the leaves were attacked, pre-maturily killing it too. The whole plant was left looking like a leaf-free pole!
I thought to axe down my pappaya at a convenient time. But look.......
Once-I-thought-"dead"-pappaya, vigorously branching
branches
More branches
.....and the branches are so green
To hell with mealy bugs!
The bugs attacked the pappaya in summer, when the plant underwent severe water stress. Now, when the rains came down crashing, the plant chose to strike back. Nature is an equal opportunity employer.....the survival of the fittest.
What next? Who will have the last laugh? Let us wait and see. I am sure of a local enemy for the mealy bug, today or tomorrow.
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