3.3.8 Deciduous fruit trees

Abstract

This chapter discusses the soft scales ( Coccidae ), infesting deciduous fruit trees—that is, pome fruits (apple, pear, and quince) and stone fruits (peach, nectarine, plum, and cherry), grown in the temperate regions of the world. Thus, all the species covered in this chapter belong to the family Rosaceae . Pome fruits are included in the subfamily Pomoidea and stone fruits in the subfamily Prunoidea , genus Prunus (peach and almond in the subgenus Amygdalus , plum and apricot in the subgenus Prunophora , and cherries in the subgenus Cerasus ). Oil sprays in early spring against the nymphal stages have long been known to be effective against soft scales. Thus, European fruit lecanium ( P. corni ) can be controlled before bud break in the spring by oil sprays; alternatively, sprays of malathion in early spring, before the scales harden, or in late summer are also effective, although two sprays 14 days apart may be needed for heavy populations. While this discussion is concerned with the control of coccids, using insecticides, it should be noted that insecticides can also induce coccid outbreaks and coccids are often secondary pests in orchards.