PESTS OF APPLE

Pests of Apple

Since temperate fruits are grown universally, some of the serious cosmopolitan pests namely San Jose scale and Wooly aphis have been introduced accidentally.Malacosoma indica in Simla hills, codling moth in Ladakh and stem borer in Uttar Pradesh serious. Major Pests 1. Apple Woolly Aphid 2. San Jose Scale 3. Cottony Cushion Scale 4. Apple Codling Moth 5. Stem Borer 6. Fruitfly 7. Tent Caterpillar Minor Pests 8. Fruit Piercing Moth 9. Leaf Miner 10. Psyllid 11. European Red Mite 1.  Apple woolly aphid: Eriosoma lanigerum (Pemphigidae: Hemiptera)  Distribution and status: Hilly tracts in India and world  Host range: Apple  Damage symptoms Sap sucking by nymphs and adults results in weakening and death of the smaller plants; galls on the roots and white woolly patches on the trunk. Aphids suck cell sap from the bark of the twigs and from the roots underground. Swelling or knots appear on the roots which hinder the normal plant functions. Aphids crowd together covered with wooly white patches on the trunk. Bionomics Reproduction is both sexual and asexual but mostly by parthenogenesis. Aphid is active throughout the year except in cold months of December and January. Wingless forms are present throughout the year whereas winged forms are seen from July to October.  Alate form disperses by flight and gives rise to apterous forms by sexual reproduction.  In winter, colonies on the tree trunks move to the base of the trunk just below the soil. Female produces 116 young ones, nymphal period 35-42 days with four instars. Management Use resistant root stock like Golden delicious, Morton stock 778, 779 or 793. Release eulophid parasitoid viz., Aphelinus mali during December and June to obtain maximum parasitization. Select healthy plants in the nursery and spray chlorpyriphos 20 EC 0.05% (2.5 ml per L of water) before planting in the main field. During leaf fall, spray diazinon 3.75 L 20 EC in 1500 -2000 L of water / ha against aerial forms. spray methyl demeton 25 EC or malathion 50 EC 2.0 L in 1500-2000 L of water per ha For controlling root forms during winter and summer respectively. Apply the fumigant paradichlorobenzene at 30-110 g/tree in a 15 cm deep trench around the tree about two meters away from the base of the affected tree. 2.  San Jose scale: Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Diaspididae: Hemiptera) Distribution and status: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu  Host range: Cherry, plum, pear, peach and most other temperate fruit trees Damage symptoms Due to sap sucking by nymphs and adults the infested bark becomes reddish pink, purple colouration in fruits. Bionomics Overwintering nymphs become active in mid March and the males emerge in April. Females are ovo-viviparous and reproduce in mid May producing 200-400 nymphs in a month, nymphal period 20 days. Life cycle completed in 35-40 days.  4-5 generations completed before hibernation which starts in mid October. Insects begin to grow during bloom period. Female scale is round slightly convex with a black pustule and the male is linear.  Management Regularly prune the infested branches and burn them. Release the parasite Encarsia perniciosi to check the over wintering population. Spray diazion 20 EC 3.75 L or methyl demeton 25 EC 2.0 L in 1500 – 2000 L of water per ha in case of severe scale infestation. Apply carbofuran 3 G @ 20 - 30 g /plant in nursery. 3. Stem borer: Apriona cinerea (Lamiidae: Coleoptera) Distribution and status: Pakisatn, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.  Host range: Apple, peach, fig and other fruit trees. Damage symptoms:           Grub feeding results in branches having small circular hole with mass of excreta. Chewed up wood particles protrude out; bark gnawed and leaves defoliated; shoots with circuitous galleries; trunk hollowed out and the infested trees remain stunted. Adult beetles feed on bark and have an unusual habit of cutting more than they actually consume. Vitality and productivity is greatly impaired. Bionomics  Female lays eggs inside the cavity, excavated on shoots, egg period 7-9 days.  Grubs undergo hibernation during winter and resume feeding in March. Grubs pupate inside the tunnel, pupal period 30-35 days. Life cycle is completed in about 2 years. Management Prune and burn all attacked shoots and branches during winter. Locate live holes and inject with carbon disulphide or cholorform or petrol and seal with mud to kill the adults. Plug cotton wick soaked with dimethoate 30 EC or methyl demeton 25 EC or dichlorvos 76 EC  10 ml or aluminium phosphide tablet 0.2 g inside the hole and cover with mud. 7. Tent caterpillar: Malacosoma indica (Lasiocampidae: Lepidoptera) Distribution and Status: Important pest in north western India and more serious in Shimla Hills. Host range: Pear, Apricot and Walnut. Damage symptoms Caterpillar feeds gregariously on foliage, leaving behind only the mid rib and other harder veins. The entire plant is defoliated and they feed on soft bark of twigs. Bionomics Active from March to May and remaining months are passed as egg stage. Light brown adult lays 300-400 eggs in masses on branches during May- June. Egg hatches the next month and the larva has black head and abodomen. Larval period 40-70 days, pupation on stem and ground in cocoon for 7-21 days during May. Management Kill larvae by mopping up with a pole and some rags dipped in kerosene tied on its end. Destroy all egg bands at the time of pruning in December - January. Place kerosenized water in an open vessel below the tree so that the larave  that fall may also be killed. Spray endosulphan 35 EC 1.75 L or  carbaryl 50 WP 2.5 kg in 1500 -2000 L of water/ha.