The Major Important Injurious Pests of Citrus, Stone Fruits and Grapes In

The More Important Injurious Pests of Citrus, Stone Fruits, and Grapes in Arab Countries and Means of Reducing Their Injury A.S. Talhouk Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American Universitv of Beirut Beirut. Lebanon -{bstract Talhouk, A.S..l989.The more important injurious pesrsof citrus, stone fruits,and grapes in Arab countries and means of reducing their injury. Arab J. Pl. Prot. 7: 200- 198. The favourable climate in most Arab countries for the phytophagous insects of the said fruits found favourable mic- growth of fruits resulted in the creation of extensive mono- ro-climates and biotopes that helped them reach pest status. cultures of citrus, stone fruits and grapes whose fruits are Biological information relative to management of the phy- consumed fresh. canned or exported. As a consequence, tophaga in order to reduce their damage was given. I. Introduction hand, there are the xylophagous insects whose optimal larval The application of integrated pest management (IPM) to requirements are weak woody stands in which they can bore orchards and vineyards can only succeed where the correct their tunnels witho.ut resistance on the parts of a (weak) information related to the following are available: (1) the wood. Finally,, a number of other plant feeders are less physiological requirements of the plants to be protected (2) choosy. and can adapt to their host plants practically as long the identity of the local phytophagousspecies(3)the phenolo- as the latter are alive; the majority of chewing insects, with gy of both of the plants and their enemies (4) elements of some variation, fall into this category. Although plants can ecology, because agriculture is a true <jig-saw puzzler. tolerate a level of loss in vigour for a short time without The ordinary farmer, even in the advanced countries, appreciable suffering, a continuous drain on vigour by the needs quite a bit of .,tutoring, along these lines l:), the agri- sucking insects or by the defoliators, will render a woody cultural extension agents, or by following vocational agri- plant subject to the attack of al/sorts of borers, and will lead cultural courses in specialized institutions. Of course, far- to its death. With this in mind one sees the importance of mers in the developing countries need at least as much providing the plants with the optimum conditions that <tutoring, along the same line. Only when adequate agri- guarantee their vigour. Amongst the meant conditions for cultural extension services are available to the farmers, is any plant variety are: (1) planting in a suitable soil, (2) plant- there a hope that IPM can be successfully applied. College ing in a suitable climate, (3) providing proper nutrition, (4) and vocational agricultural schools should be established or providing adequate irrigation and drainage whenever needed, increased in developing countries in order to spread acquired and (5) practicing other genelal management operation, and knowledge resulting from local research. care. The fulfilment of the above conditions are an act of True knowledge of the existence of local pests depends on ..vaccination> against the collapse of an attacked plant. A the collectir.; and proper identification of all arthropods in second safety factor which has a great survival value to the the country, more or less along the pattern of what is already plants is the protection of natural enemies of its phytophaga, done in the Fauna of Saudi Arabia, and, to a lesser degree, including birds, arthopods, and pathogens that gradually ar- in Oman. Kuwait,, Egypt and Iraq. The faunas of adjacent rive to settled environments, such as orchards, woods, and countries are not necessarily identical. The application of the forests. However, since phytophagus arthropods arrive to proper pesticides to control a pest is very likely to fail if the newly planted orchards a considerable time before their timine of the application is incorrect. natural enemies (Volterra's Third Law), it is often necessary Althoueh foreign text books on pest control are basically to use pesticides when phytophagous populations start to en- ver)' helptul in principle. less than three percent of the agri- dager their host plants. When such necessity becomes un- cultural pests of USA. and less than 13 percent of those in avoidable, the use of selective pesticides, in spite of their West European countries erist in the \tiddie East. high prices. is the onlv long term advisable resort. Although In integrated pest managemenl. a number of facts har.e to the contact or general purpose pesticides are cheaper and be considered in order to attain satisfacton' results. Fcrr er'- ma) shou immediate. spectacular results following their ap- ery plant species. there are anhoprods that feed on it s hrrse plicatit-rn. alter a (r ariable ) short time. the population of the optimal requirement are vigorous hosts and are best e\em- phr-tophagt-rus target s-ill increase verv rapidly to exceed re- plified by the sterngrhvnchous homoptera: on the other markablv its former numbers. u'hat is termed in pest man- 2N :7 agement vernacular <resurgence>>. The result is further and cept the use of props when berries are formed. so as to repeated application of the pesticide at shorter and shorter prevent mechanical injury to the bunches. intervals. and the development of resistance by the repeated 2. Growing the vines (as cordons) on horizontallr'-stretched elimination of the weaker individuals in the treated popula- metallic wires in an east-west direction. tion. In mature orchards, the use of contact pesticides has 3. Growing'.he vines on ralsed trellises ca. two meters high. another added danger to the one mentioned; since it kills a The first method was very suitable for ploughing when ox proportionately higher number of predators and of the deli- ploughs were common,and isnow rapidly loosing ground due cate and highly susceptible, tiny parasites. to abandonment of ox ploughing. In this type of vineyards. With time, a mature orchard treated with proper, selective the only pest was the phylloxera, and to a very minor degree, pesticides, will form a stable ecosystem in which the trees, wasps and hornets. No fungus diseases were of any signifi- the phytophagous arthropod populations and those of their cance, because grapes were only grown in rain-fed areas natural enemies live together in more or less proportioned without supplementary irrigations. populations, termed <natural balance)>. When the balance is disrupted due to unusual conditions or to faulty management The second method or cordon growing is the least condu- operations that favour a threatening increase of the phy- cive to pest or fungus attacks, due to the non suitable drying tophagous populations, resort to selective pesticides becom- action of the sun and wind on the said organisms. es necessar\'. The third method of grou'ing srapes is verv conducive to II. Pests of Citrus the spread of pests and diseases. due to the appreciable rise in underneath the- rines. and the prevention of sun- These can best be divided into. ( I ) pests of vegetative hurniditv organs, (2) pests of reproductive organs. and (3) r.ectors of Iight from reachine the soil or the fruit. Unfortunatelr'. the ..fashionable ,, plant diseases. method has become and expensive for the gro\\'er and the consumer. \ou' that practicallr all vines are 1. Pests of vegetative organs often attack also the reproduc- grafted on American stalks. phvlloxera is no more a problem tive organs, but not vice versa. Among the most important in all vineyards. are the Homoptera, and the Acarina, many of which have However, in the vines grown on trellises. the following a cosmopolitan distribution. The commonest ones in the pests have to be controlled. The grape berry moth ., Lobesia and Middle East are: (a) Homoptera, including Near botrana, the mealybug, Planococcus citri, and the fungi caus- Aonidiella aurantii, Lepidosaphes spp. , Saissetia oleae, ing powdery mildew, and downy mildew , Chloropsalta viri- Planococcus citri, Dialeurodes citri, Coccus hesperidum, dissima in North Syria. To control the insect, it is recom- Icerya purchasi, Aphis gossypii, Toxoptera aurantii, Di- mended to cut and burn the twigs where egg-laying scars aphorina citri. (b) Acari, including Bryobia praetiosa, occur, before the eggs hatch in August. Panonychus citri, Phyllocoptruta oleivora. The grape berry moth is controlled by sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis starting about end to mid April. The spray 2.Pests reproductive organs. (a) Diptera, capita- of Ceratitis should be repeated after 20 - 25 days, and is safe since this Dacus (b) Lepidoptera, Prays citri, phyllocnis- ta, zonatus bacillus is very selective against lepidopterous larvae . Plano- tis gnidiella; Acari, Aceria citrella, Cryptoblabes sheldoni, coccus citri is controllable with lime-sulfur sprays in winter, Phy llocop truta oleiv ora. and systemic organo-phosphates when the insect is actively 3. Vectors of plant diseases. Homoptera, Aphis Sossy' feeding, i.e. when the insects excrete honey dew. As to the pii, Aphis craccivorA, Diaphorina citri. powdery and downy mildews a number of synthetic fungi- for the integrated pest The following are recommendation cides have replaced sulfur and copper salt sprays. management tn cttrus groves: IV. Pests of Stone Fruit Trees a. Against hard scales; winter oils, The woody organs of all stone fruits suffer from the attack b. Against soft scales; systemic poisons when insects are of boring grubs, particularlv u'hen the trees are not irrigated active; also lime-sulfur at dormant concentration, during the hot summer months, or are rendered weak by c. Against fruit flies pheromones and chemosterilants i other means. There is a general tendency by the fruit grow- when the fruit starts to mature (change color from ers to neslect or totally ignore the fruit-thinning operation, green to yellow). no matter hou'heavy fruit set is.

Load more