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News Articles - Archive
Pest Management News Articles printed in the Bundaberg NewsMail
- Report for the NewsMail: 11-04-07
- Report for the NewsMail: 28-03-07
- Report for the NewsMail: 14-03-07
- Report for the NewsMail: 28-02-07
- Report for the NewsMail: 01-02-07
- Report for the NewsMail: 19-01-07
Report for the NewsMail: 11-04-07
The temperature is starting to wind down and this will have the effect of slowing down the cycle rate of insects. Pest like silver leaf whitefly and two spotted mite will therefore become less of an issue than in the warmer months. The hatch rate of heliothis eggs will be slowing from 3 days to approximately 4 days.
Leafminer have been counted in extreme numbers in tomato crops around Bundaberg. The majority of these have shown resistance to pesticides with some growers applying a variety of pesticides with little to no effect.
Citrus trees have experienced increased levels of yellow citrus rust mite and spined citrus bug. Emporer Brown Spot has also appeared recently due to early morning fogs and dew emphasizing appropriate fungicide applications required. Flatids can also appear at this time of the year so careful monitoring is essential to pick up population changes.
Heliothus pressure in tomatoes and capsicums has been reasonably low with figures up to 0.5 eggs/plant found in tomatoes. Some thrips have appeared in capsicums and these can cause significant damage to fruit appearance reducing market price. Low levels of bacterial spot on chillis have also been found due to longer hours of leaf wetness.
vocadoes have been attacked by ivy leaf roller which is fairly typical for this time of the year. They will typically be found where there are two fruit touching each other or a leaf touching fruit.
Report for the NewsMail: 28-03-07
Heliothis egg lays have been moderate on tomatoes with between 0.5 - 1.5eggs/plant counted. Capsicum counts have been low with 0 – 0.4 eggs/plant seen. These counts are predicted to increase around the Easter period as is the trend for the time of year. The upcoming full moon will also have the effect of increasing these numbers.
Close attention needs to be paid to seedlings that have recently been planted into sandier soils. This is due to the windy weather we have been experiencing lately. Strong winds will pick up some of the finer sand particles and has the effect of sand blasting on seedlings. If leaf damage occurs, infection sites will be exposed and with wet weather following, diseases such as bacterial speck and stemphylium can be a problem.
The hot days we have experienced earlier in the month have taken their toll in various crops with a present fruit load. Sunburn of fruit has been wide spread on fruit in direct sunlight. Damage has been greatest in crops of citrus, capsicums and avocadoes. This problem highlights the need for attaining adequate vegetative growth thus shading the fruit from the sun and reducing this problem.
ango tip borer has been seen doing damage in certain mango orchards in the region. The larval stage of the insect causes damage by chewing flush and tunneling into the stems of new flush causing stem death. This insect will reduce the flowering potential of the mango tree which can reduce yields. Spraying for mango tip borer should be done when the larvae are still chewing flush and before they enter the stems.
Report for the NewsMail: 14-03-07
The heliothis egg lays have been high this week with counts in capsicums up to 2.5 eggs/plant and up to 8.3 eggs/plant in tomatoes. Although these counts are high not all of these eggs will hatch. The viability of the eggs laid last week will have been decreased by the current weather conditions, this has occurred in two ways; Egg development and viability is hindered when temperatures exceed 33 degrees Celsius and a heavy rainfall event has the tendency to wash a percentage of eggs to the ground where their hatch rate is severely affected.
Sclerotinia sclreotium is a disease commonly found when weather presents cool and humid. This disease has a wide host range with its spores staying in the soil for several years. This disease has been seen in a tomato crop in the Bundaberg area. It has been an unusual find at this time as conditions have been far from cool. Ensure crop residues are fully decomposed as this disease is a non-obligate parasite and heavy crop loss can occur in these circumstances.
Watch leaf flushes in Mangoes and Lychees for Mango tip borer and Erinose mite respectively. Adequate crop nutrition during this stage is also vital in maintaining the strength of next seasons flowering. All nutrient deficiencies should be addressed at this time through fertigation, side dress or foliar fertilizer application.
With the temperature in the previous days rising well above 30 degree Celsius it becomes noticeable that some crops will begin to wilt during the heat of the day. This condition is appropriately named ‘mid-day wilt'. Mid-day wilt is a result of the transpiration rate of the crop exceeding the soil moisture extraction rate of the roots and doesn't necessarily mean that the soil is dry. This condition can be avoided by planting outside of typical high heat periods in the year. If that is not a possible, beginning overhead irrigation during the heat of the day will give crops relief.
Report for the NewsMail: 28-02-07
Heliothis have begun to lay in horticulture crops due to the number of new plantings around the district. Pressure is generally low, however some watermelon blocks have had levels of over 1 larvae/plant. These larvae have been seen mainly in flowers and terminal growth. When applying insecticides for heliothis control, sprays are more effective during the day as the flowers close at night sheltering larvae them from direct contact and ingestion.
Leaf miner moths haven't wasted any time getting into new plantings of tomatoes as counts of up to 1 larvae/plant have been seen. Some growers have begun placing leaf miner traps for monitoring nightly flights. The trap counts can then be used for timing sprays to coincide with the hatching of egg.
Powdery mildew has been spotted in tomatoes at levels over 10% in the Childers area. Levels like this are unusual for the present conditions and time of year. This could be attributed to last years planting not being clean up prior to the start of this season. Powdery mildew is difficult to control as there are limited registered products. Correct farm hygiene, strategic block placement and early detection are key factors when minimizing yield loss caused from this pathogen.
When planting in periods in high temperature and high soil moisture watch out for the plants suddenly wilting and falling over. This could be caused by the onset of soil borne diseases like Pythium and Rhyzoctinia (Also known as damping off) which thrive in these conditions. To avoid this pay close attention to the soil moisture making sure that irrigation input doesn't exceed the requirement of the seedlings.
Report for the NewsMail: 01-02-07
Avocado growers with the Sheppard variety should be aware of the maturity of their fruit with reference to the withholding periods of selected chemicals. Sheppard avocadoes start to mature around February and some commonly used chemicals can have withholding periods of up to 14 days.
Counts of Macadamia nut borer have continued to be low in macadamia orchards, which has made it difficult for the released Trichogramma parasites to multiply. This will mean that IPM friendly orchards using this method of control will have problems with larvae escapes if there is an unusually flight of nut borer between now and the begining of harvest. Hawaiian varieties should be beginning to show signs of maturity inside the husk.
Red scale has been seen causing trouble in citrus orchards in the Bundaberg area. Red scale tends not to be a problem when feeding on branches (with the exception of small trees). The problem occurs when they move onto the fruit ultimately downgrading the quality. One successful method of control has been regular releases of the parasitic Aphytis insect. Care needs to be taken however, with insecticide selection, to ensure the longevity of these beneficial insect.
Mango growers should be aware that their later maturing varieties like keitt and calypso are still vulnerable to Queensland fruit fly attacks. Traps should be set and monitored for regularly to determine whether control methods need to be taken.
Report for the NewsMail: 19-01-07
Loopers flights have been observed in certain avocado orchards within the region. Counts of larvae in affected blocks were between levels of 15 and 20% with the majority of these larvae at the second instar phase of their life cycle. These levels far exceed the action threshold for the crop during the current stage of fruit development. Damage to trees and fruit have however have been kept to a minimum through early detection and action.
Capsicum chlorosis virus has been found at low levels in a cherry tomato block in the Bundaberg area. This virus has been brought in to this block by migrating thrips carrying the virus. Thrips are the only vector for this virus and controlling the spread of this virus is therefore carried out by controlling thrip levels in the crop. A number of weed species are host to the virus making weed control very important for farms that have repeat problems with this disease.
Macadamia nut borer levels have generally been low for this time of year with a minimal number of blocks being spray for this pest. The only exception to this are the farms around Childers having egg levels up to 6%, which is above the action threshold. Farms that have been releasing trichogramma wasps as a biological control for nut borer eggs have been noticing good levels of egg parasitism. Finding parasitism of nut borer eggs can potentially increase the action threshold for this pest and possibly reduce the total number of sprays per block.
There have been a number of farms having trouble with uniform trickle line pressure over the past season. These blocks are noticeable as plant height, coluor and ultimately yield reduces towards the end of the trickle line. Uniform pressure problems can be attributed to a number of factors such as; row length, tape diameter, lay flat position ect. When preparing new ground for next seasons crops consult your local tape representative for advice on irrigation design to prevent this problem.
