jJ¡^2SJL!t^j[fc AH 527/12/78 r ^ /hi sM^ /tí tj3A<í^ PESTS AND DISEASES OF THE DATE PAUV1 IN COOPERATION WITH r^o UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA CITRUS RESEARCH CENTER i 0 AND AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION —^ Ci3 '<r>^' CD-r :x)0 0:2^ CO ?; \' ' /^^ UNITED STATES AGRICULTURE (fU^I DEPARTMENT OF HANDBOOK SGF' ^"^^ AGRICULTURE NUMBER 527 Er 711527 PESTICIDE WARNING In the United States, the only pesticides authorized for use on date palms are inorganic compounds of copper or sulfur and the organic compounds ferbam and malathion. Other pesticides mentioned in the text for control of pests and diseases of the date palm are employed in countries other than the United States. This paper contains the results of research only. Mention of a pesticide in this paper does not constitute a recommendation for use by the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture nor does it imply registration under FIFRA as amended. POLJ.OW THB UABSU s. MMitRiat Of «(iimiiiK On January 24, 1978, four U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agen- cies — Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Cooperative State Research Ser- vice (GSRS), Extension Service (ES), and the National Agricultural Library (NAD — were merged to become a new organization, the Science and Educa- tion Administration (SEA) of the USDA. Trade names and the names of commercial companies are used in this publication solely to provide specific informa- tion. Mention of a trade name or manufacturer does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor an endorsement by the Department over other products not mentioned. A free copy of this publication is available by writing to: U.S. Date and Citrus Station 44-455 Clinton Street Indio, Calif. 92201 or Office of Governmental and Public Affairs U.S. Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250 C. Issued December 1978 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 001-O00-03867-5 ABSTRACT / Carpenter, J. B., and Elmer, H.S. Pests and Diseases of the Date Palm. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook No. 527,42 pages. This handbook is the most comprehensive publication available on pests and diseases of the date palm. The world literature is reviewed through Janu- ary 1977. Depending upon the relative importance of a pest or disease, some or all of the following aspects of each are discussed: Distribution, economic impor- tance, symptoms or injuries, nature and life cycle of causal agent, and control measures. The text is supplemented with a guide to the names and classifica- tion of the insects and mites on date palms, a glossary of terms used in the text, a list of common and chemical names of pesticides, and an extensive citation of literature on date culture as well as on pests and diseases of dates. Where available, citations are given to recent publications on pests and diseases in each of the principal date-growing countries. KEYWORDS: Biological control, date bibliography, date breeding, date culture, date diseases, date fruit, date glossary, date indus- try, date insects, date mites, date nematodes, date palm, dis- ease resistance, fruit fumigation, pesticides, Phoenix dac- ty lifer a, stored fruit pests. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Grateful acknowledgment is made to R. L. Bergman, J. R. Furr, R. W. Nix- on, and C. L. Ream, U.S. Date and Citrus Station, Indio, Calif.; to D. L. Lindgren and L. E. Vincent, University of California, Riverside; and to E. Laville, Institut de Recherches sur les Fruits et Agrumes, Montpellier, France, for advice and criticism in the preparation of this handbook. We are indebted to M. S. Wasbauer, Systematic Entomologist and Curator, and his staff, Laboratory Ser- vices/Entomology, Division of Plant Industry, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, for a valuable revision of the mite and insect no- menclature and the order-family assignments in list 1. The revision of the sec- tion on systematics and distribution of Phycitine Pyralid moths by J. P. Donahue, Assistant Curator, Entomology, Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, is sincerely appreciated. Gratitude for generous help in obtaining literature is expressed to the staff of the Bio-Agricultural Library, University of California, Riverside, and to the staff of the National Agricultural Library, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md. We thank the Meister Publishing Company, Willoughby, Ohio, for generous permission to abstract pesticide names and chemical formulas from the "1977 Farm Chemi- cals Handbook." CONTENTS Page Page Introduction \ Fumigation and packinghouse pest control.. 14 Mites 2 Root-knot nematodes 15 Banks grass mite 2 Old World date mite 3 Diseases 15 Miscellaneous mites 4 Bayoud 15 Mites in stored dates 4 Khamedj ig Fruit rots 19 Insects 4 Graphiola leaf spot 20 Parlatoria date scale 4 Black scorch 2I Red date scale 5 Diplodia disease 2I Green scale 5 Omphalia root rot 22 Other scale insects 6 Belaat 22 Date bug g ßrown leaf spot 22 Dubas bug g Bending head 22 Apache cicada 6 Other fungi on date palms 22 Date stone beetle 7 Lethal yellowing 22 Fig beetle 7 Faroun 23 Nitidulid beetles 7 Rapid decline 23 Beetles in stored dates g Al-Wijam 23 Palm stem borer 8 Barhee disorder 23 Indian palm weevil 9 Blacknose 24 Fruitstalk borer 9 Whitenose 24 Rhinoceros beetle 9 Internal browning 24 Other coleopterous borers 9 Crosscuts 24 Indian meal moth IQ Dry bone 95 Raisin moth ^^0 Black scald 25 Almond moth n Other Cadra moths ^-^ Literature cited 25 Lesser date moth ^^ Appendix 35 Greater date moth . \2 Glossary 35 Phycitine pyralid moths j2 Mites and insects discussed in text 37 Desert locust j^3 Common and chemical names of Hymenoptera 24 pesticides 'mentioned in this handbook. 40 Termites ^4 Aphids 24 Other insect pests 24 PESTS AND DISEASES OF THE DATE PALM D By J. B. CARPENTER and H.S. ELMER^'^ INTRODUCTION Date palms provide a primary article of food 1947 and Stickney et al. (227) in 1950 provided a and commerce in the great desert areas extending basis for the original preparation of this publica- from western North Africa to India, and are a tion. Since 1968, Bindra and Varma (17), commercial crop in many other subtropical desert Strumpel (229), and Vilardebo (252) have areas. The principal date-producing countries of reviewed some of the literature on date insects. the world are Algeria, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Hussain (116) published the most comprehensive Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Dates are recent account of insect pests in Iraq, based in also produced in large quantities in Bahrain, large part on research done in that country; many Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, the papers in Arabic are cited. People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Tunisia, Kehat (134) made a study of temperature in and the United States. Smaller quantities of dates date palms that is pertinent to entomological in- are produced in Chad, India, Israel, Mexico, and vestigation of this crop. His summary is quoted as Somalia, and a few plantings occur in other coun- follows: tries. Munier (193P discussed the world distribu- tion of date palms. Persons involved in date pest and disease control should consult Rygg (218) and "Temperatures in the natural habitat Dowson and Aten (72) on handling and processing of date palm pests were compared at the crop. the macro- and microenvironmental levels. These data are important for The first two sections of this handbook con- evaluating the pests' survival sider the insect and mite pests that have been of capacity and preferred microhabitat concern to date growers during the past 30 years. under the temperature extremes pre- Taxonomic assignments, with appropriate vailing in their natural habitat. The authorities, are given in a list, page 37. Distribu- temperature of the date pinnae's sur- tion, economic importance, injury, description, life face varied with the absolute tem- history, and control are discussed. Excellent perature and relative humidity, and reviews of date palm pests by Lepesme (157) in with the age and position of the pin- nae. However, the differences bet- ^Plant pathologist, Science and Education Admin- ween air and pinnae temperature, as istration, Indio, Calif. 92201, and entomology specialist, well as between pinnae, never ex- Department of Entomology, University of California, ceeded 4°C. The mature exposed pin- Riverside, 92521. nae represented the hottest part of the tree, the young pinnae were much ^Pests and diseases of the date palm, Phoenix dac- cooler, and the area beneath the tylifera L., are discussed on a worldwide basis in this trunk fibers was the coolest of the publication, which supersedes a paper with the same ti- tree. A macroclimate which is con- tle, by Elmer et al., published in 1968. All pertinent sidered nonbeneficial for insect sur- literature available through January 1977 has been vival may sometimes prove more consulted. favorable than expected, when con- ^Italic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature sidered at the microenvironmental Cited, p. 25. level." AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK 527, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Karschon (128) found that pinnae exposed to for growth and fruiting in the hot deserts where sun were warmer than the ambient air. Shaded they thrive, yet atmospheric moisture is their pinnae were at or near air temperature. commonest enemy. Most of the important Methods and materials for the control of pathogens of palms are fungi, which, except for various insect and mite species change rapidly. the destructive soil-borne species of Fusarium that Currently recommended pesticides are men- causes bayoud, are dependent upon high humidity tioned; dosages and timing should be sought from and rain for their development. Thus, the other local research or agricultural extension agencies.