Comparing armoured scale insect (<i>Hemiberlesia</i> spp) populations on male and female <i>Actinidia chinensis</i> vines

Abstract

The wood and leaves of Actinidia chinensis Hort16A and two male pollinisers A chinensis Meteor and A chinensis Sparkler from commercial kiwifruit orchards were sampled for the presence of armoured scale insects during winter 2007 and summer 2008/09 The numbers and species of scale insect were recorded Meteor had high armoured scale insect populations on its wood with approximately 10 times more armoured scale insects than Sparkler or Hort16A The leaves of Hort16A vines adjacent to Meteor vines had 44 more armoured scale insects and were 30 more likely to be infested by scale insects than the leaves of Hort16A vines adjacent to Sparkler vines The implications of these findings for armoured scale insect control on Hort16A fruit are discussed