s' Controlled peachtree borer helps reduce canker incidence
LANCASTER The lesser
peachtree borer is a native insect
which was first reported in Penn
sylvania in the early 1900’s.
Traditionally, the lesser peachtree
borer has ranked below the 1
peachtree borer m importance
among producers. In the nor
theast, however, it has become
more of a problem in recent years.
Besides infesting wounded areas of
the tree until the entire branch or
limb is girdled (resulting in limb
death), lesser peachtree borer
feeding activities can cause ad
ditional entrances for the
damaging disease, peach
l cytopora I canker.
Cytopora canker is a fungus
disease which invades dead and
injured tissue. Shortened tree life
and the loss of 30 to 50 percent of
the tree’s fruit is a conservative
estimate of the economic impact
caused by peach canker. The
disease has been identified in the
Northeast United States since
about 1900, but appears to be on the
increase over the last ten years.
“There appears to be a close
association between the lesser
peachtree borer and peach
canker" reports Entomologist
Larry A. Hull at Pennsylvania
State University’s Fruit Research
Laboratory m Biglerville.
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“Peach canker enters the tree
through wounds, winter injury and
pruning cuts,” Hull explains.
Severe winter injury caused by
cold temperature damage to the
trees over the past three years has
made peach trees in the state more
susceptible to peach canker.
"Growers are able to surgically
remove the cankered areas from
the tree, then treat the tree with a
fungicidial disinfectant to allow
healing,” he explains. "However,
the lesser peachtree borer can
bore through the wound callus
taking the canker right along with
it. In this instance, the fungus is
spread by the lesser peachtree
borer tunneling into the wood,”
Hull reports. A peach canker can
girdle a tree and cause the death of
the tree within two years after
infection. Apparently, controlling
the lesser peachtree borer is
essential in helping to reduce the
seventy of cytopora canker.
Hull contends that now more
than ever peach producers must
understand insect pests, such as
the lesser peachtree borer. “Not
only must growers of fruit trees be
able to identify this insect, they
must also understand the insect’s
life cycle so that they can become
better prepared to make proper
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pest management decisions,” Hull
explains.
The lesser peachtree borer
overwinters in various larval
stages. In the spring, larvae feed
until mature than burrow to the
outer bark surface, leaving only a
thin disc of bark. In Pennsylvania,
moths of the lesser peachtree
borer are in flight from mid May
through October. Emergence
peaks from early to mid June and
mid to late August in northern
areas of the United States.
During favorite weather, mating
occurs within an hour after moths
emerge. Egg laymg follows shortly
after mating. The female deposits
eggs in cracks and crevices near
injured bark from ground level to a
height of eight feet (most are
deposited within three to four
above ground level). Eggs hatch in
seven to 14 days, depending on
temperature, and young larvae
invade the wounded tissue to feed.
The larvae is about 0.7 mm long
when newly hatched. The head is
yellowish-brown and the body light
tan. The length of the full-grown
larvae is 20-26 mm. The head and
thoracic shields are yellowish
brown with a white body. There
are three pairs of short thoracic
legs.
This peach is a result of a healthy tree. However, it's im
portant to guard this tree from Cytopora canker, a fungus
disease which invades dead and injured tissue. Shortened
tree life and the loss of 30 to 50 percent of the tree’s fruit is a
conservative estimate of the economic impact caused by
peach canker.
Larvae of the lesser peachtree
borer are common at wounded or
injured areas of the tree. They
may be found in the trunk, scaffold
limbs, or branches previously
injured or diseased. Pruning
wounds, areas damaged by disease
or harvesting equipment, insect or
winter-injured areas, or sun
scalded bark are frequent
locations of infestation.
Once established, larvae feed on
tender, growing wood at the
margins of the injured area. If not
controlled, they enlarge the
wounded area until the entire
branch or limb is girdled, resulting
in limb death. Their feeding ac
tivities provide entrances for
disease organisms such as peach
canker.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 2, 1983—027
"Spray timing for controlling the
lesser peachtree borer is im
portant,” Hull explains. "The first
ten days and last ten days of June
are critical in timing sprays for the
first generation of the lesser
peachtree borer. The second
critical spray period is late August
or early September when the
second generation usually oc
curs,” he says.
Hull points out that researchers
in the eastern United States are
conducting test work on peaches
with Pydrm Insecticide (fen
valerate), a pyrethroid compound
that just received federal
registration for use on peaches.
"Preliminary data shows that
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Control Measures
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