Ginger foliage and underground rhizomes can be affected by insects and nematodes. Potential pests of above-ground growing structures in North Carolina are insects with chewing mouth parts, such as coleopteran, orthopteran, and lepidopteran pests. These types of pests create feeding holes and/or skeletonize the foliage, preventing the plant from conducting photosynthesis. Other pests of the above-ground growing structures are piercing-sucking insects such as aphids, scales, whiteflies, mealy bugs, and plant hoppers. These insects suck up the rich carbohydrate sources of above-ground leaf material and leave behind sooty mold that can prevent the crop from photosynthesizing. Piercing-sucking insects are among the group of insects that can also transmit viruses that can be passed on and expressed in propagated or stored seeds (rhizomes) (Green et al., 2018).

Ginger can be susceptible to below-ground soil-inhabitant pests such as plant parasitic nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms that cause economic damage by feeding on the roots and tubers of many fruit and vegetable crops, including ginger and turmeric (Thakur et al., 2020). Potential nematode species that can be found affecting ginger rhizomes are root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp., lesion nematodes or Pratylenchus spp., and spiral nematodes or Helicotylenchus spp. (Thakur et al., 2020). Soil type and cultivation play an essential role in the types of nematodes found in the root zone where ginger is produced. Not only can insects, viruses, and nematodes affect ginger, biotic organisms such as fungi and bacteria can also reduce ginger yields.