Integrated Pest and Disease Management Manual for Persimmon
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Department of Agriculture and Fisheries INTEGRATED PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT MANUAL FOR PERSIMMON Alan George, Bob Nissen, Grant Bignell, Don Hutton, Roger Broadley and David Bruun Second Edition – November 2017 Authors Alan George, Director, Asia Pacific Agricultural Consultants Pty Ltd Bob Nissen, Director, Ag-Hort International Pty Ltd Grant Bignell, Research Scientist, Department of Agriculutre and Fishereis Don Hutton Roger Broadley David Bruun, Field Operations Manager, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries We would also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions by Kent Andrews, Nic Hobbs, Geoff Patterson, Rod Dalton, Stephen Jeffers, Jeanette Wilson and many other persimmon growers. Hort Innovation and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries make no representations and expressly disclaim all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in this Final Report. Users of this Final Report should take independent action to confirm any information in this Final Report before relying on that information in any way. Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation is entirely at your own risk. HIA Ltd is not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way (including from HIA Ltd or any other person’s negligence or otherwise) from your use or non‐use of the Final Report or from reliance on information contained in the Final Report or that HIA Ltd provides to you by any other means. This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the Australian Persimmon industry levy and funds from the Australian Government. The Queensland Government co‐funded the research through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. This publication has been compiled by Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. © State of Queensland, 2017 The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms. You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source of the publication. Note: Some content in this publication may have different licence terms as indicated. For more information on this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The Queensland Government shall not be liable for technical or other errors or omissions contained herein. The reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information. Integrated Pest and Disease Management TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE NO. 1 IPDM – AN OVERVIEW 6 2 PRIORITY PESTS AND DISEASES 11 2.1 Review of pests and control methods in persimmon 12 2.2 Pests 13 2.3 Diseases 17 3 DISEASES 20 3.1 Angular Leaf Spot 21 3.2 Circular Leaf Spot 24 3.3 Pestalotiopsis Leaf Spot 26 3.4 Anthracnose 28 3.5 Twig Blight (Phomopsis?) 31 3.6 Grey Mould (Botrytis) 35 3.7 Sooty Mould 37 3.8 Post-harvest Rots 40 3.9 Crown Gall 43 3.10 Collar Rot (Bacterial Wilt) 46 3.11 Other Root diseases 49 4 PESTS 51 4.1 Mealybugs 52 4.2 Ants 67 4.3 Clearwing Moth 73 4.4 Black Scale 85 4.5 White Wax Scale 88 4.6 Pink Wax Scale 92 4.7 Nigra Scale 96 4.8 Green Coffee Scale 104 4.9 Long Soft Scale 108 4.10 Mussel Scale 111 4.11 Fruit Fly 114 4.12 Light Brown Apple Moth 128 4.13 Yellow Peach Moth 133 4.14 Fruit Spotting Bug 137 4.15 Thrips 153 4.16 Eriophyid Mites 158 4.17 Two Spotted Mites 161 4.18 Fruit Piercing Moth 166 4.19 Leafhoppers (Jassids) 169 4.20 Orange Fruit Borer 174 4.21 Weevils 175 4.22 Leaf Rollers 179 4.23 Cluster Caterpillar 181 4.24 Loopers 184 4.25 Leaf and Bark Eating Caterpillars 186 4.26 Aphids 189 4.27 Red Shouldered Leaf Beetles 192 4.28 Earwigs 194 4 Integrated Pest and Disease Management 5 MONITORING 197 6 ORCHARD MANAGEMENT STATEGIES 215 7 PEST AND DIS EASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 228 8 PESTICIDE APPLICATION METHODS 278 9 REFERENCES AND OTHER INFORMATION 295 5 Integrated Pest and Disease Management Chapter 1 IPDM – an overview 6 Integrated Pest and Disease Management 1.1 AUSTRALIAN PERSIMMON The Persimmon industry is established from the semi-tropical far north of Queensland to the cool temperate zones of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, with no single centre of production. Fruit from warmer regions mature four months earlier than southern States, giving the industry a harvest spread from February to July inclusive. The majority of the Australian industry is based on sweet (non-astringent) cultivars with the major varieties including ‘Jiro’, ‘Fuyu’ and ‘Izu’. Yield and fruit size vary within and between regions. There are approximately 250 growers producing 450 000 (4kg) trays. Currently the peak industry body, Persimmons Australia Inc. (PAI), has approximately 150 members and the Australian industry is estimated to be worth approximately $12 million (Persimmon Annual Investment Plan – 2010/2011). Significant new plantings are planned over the next 5 years. Improving fruit quality and increasing post-harvest storage life are critical to increasing market penetration for both domestic and export markets. The aim of this manual is to develop and present an integrated pest and disease package for Australian persimmon growers based on the current state of knowledge. The manual will require regular updating to remain relevant. 1.2 THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL The traditional approach to insect and disease control was to spray crops at regular intervals whether or not pests or diseases were evident. This approach was costly and a waste of money if pests were absent. It did not take into account the fact that small numbers of pests can be tolerated without significant effect on yield and quality. In these cases, the cost of spraying is much greater than the benefit gained by controlling the pest and increased the risk of chemical damage to the fruit. The traditional approach had the following characteristics: • relied heavily on new chemicals being developed to replace those to which insects had developed resistance • killed beneficial insects, and sometimes resulted in outbreaks of pests that were well controlled naturally • exposed farm families and farm employees to a range of toxic chemicals • increased chemical residues in fruit and the wider environment. 1.3 THE MODERN APPROACH TO PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL - IPDM Throughout the world, there is growing trend towards producing and marketing safer, cleaner fruit with little or no chemical residues. Additionally, world food safety standards demand agricultural chemicals not exceed certain limits in fruit and vegetable products. Integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) covers many techniques of addressing pests and diseases while reducing the reliance on chemicals. It includes such techniques as introducing predatory insects to control pest insects and improvements in orchard hygiene to eliminate many of the current disease problems. 7 Integrated Pest and Disease Management Not all direct chemical sprays can be eliminated from the fruit production process, but safe use practices of required chemicals should ensure the health and safety of workers, as well as the satisfying the food safety requirements. The adoption of IPDM can result in production of high-quality fruit at less cost to the grower than the cost of chemical control programs. A recent economic survey in Queensland citrus showed that IPDM resulted in savings of up to 53% compared to the costs of chemical control. There are also potential marketing advantages for 'clean and green' persimmons produced with minimal pesticide use. Other advantages of IPM are: • the development of pest or disease resistance to chemical is delayed or avoided due to the less frequent use of chemicals • growers develop a thorough knowledge of pests and beneficials and diseases, and can use this to improve orchard management • long-term control of pests is improved through the increased abundance and diversity of natural enemies • as a result of reduced chemical use, safety is improved for people working in orchards • as a result of reduced chemical use, environmental contamination is reduced • chemical residues in or on fruit are minimised, enhancing consumer acceptance of the produce. 1.4 COMPONENTS OF IPM 1.4.1 Biological control Biological control is the use of natural enemies (parasites, predators or pathogens) of pests. (The natural enemies are also called 'beneficial organisms' or 'beneficials'). The aim of biological control is to establish and maintain populations of natural enemies which will keep pest populations below economically damaging levels. There are two main groups of beneficial insects: • Predators - attack and eat other insects. Either adult or larvae, or both may be predatory. • Parasites - lay eggs on or in other insects. The eggs hatch and the developing larvae consume the host, usually from the inside. Natural enemies may be mass-reared and released into orchards. Augmentative releases aim to ensure that the natural enemy is present in sufficient numbers in time to control the pest. Before mass-rearing and augmentative release programs are initiated, it is necessary to know the true value of the various beneficials in controlling the pests. 1.4.2 Cultural control Cultural practices should help to conserve existing natural enemies of pests. In persimmon, these practices include the management of other plants growing in the orchard, tree skirting, trunk banding and good orchard hygiene (see Chapter 8).