RELATIVELY SAFE TREATMENTS (PARTIAL / COMPLETE COVERAGE SPRAY) FOR THE CONTROL OF SCOLYTUS AMYGDALI (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN APRICOT ORCHARDS IN EGYPT

Abstract

Anew relatively safe and commercial partial/complete coverage spray to control Scolytus amygdali (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in the apricot orchard (applied only twice instead of 6 current MOA recommended chemical treatments/season) at El- Kattatba district, (Menofia Governorate). Percentages reduction of infestation for the following 7 applications for one-year treatment (2015), two successive years (2015 and 2016), and three successive years (2015, 2016 and 2017) were, respectively, as follow: A: Horticultural treatments: 1) dormant winter pruning (27.73 increased to 34.87 then 38.88%), 2) summer pruning (15.06 increased to 17.65 then 19.24%), 3) dormant and summer pruning (34.06 increased to 39.50 then 45.69%). B: Chemical treatment: 4) MOA recommended chemical treatments (3 treatments during spring and 3 treatments during autumn) (80.57 increased to 85.08 then 89.58%), 5) new commercial partial/complete coverage chemical treatments (1 treatment during spring and 1 treatment during autumn) (61.35 increased to 71.01 then 79.16%). Third: Horticultural (winter and summer pruning as an additive control) together with chemical treatments: 6) pruning together with MOA recommended treatments resulted in 86.03% increased to 88.24% then 96.39%, and 7) pruning together with new partial/complete coverage treatment resulted in 68.78% increased to 78.15% then 91.78%. The new commercial and relatively safe partial/complete coverage chemical control eliminates the pesticide use (2 treatments insteat of 6) and reduces residues, prevent the outbreaks of secondary species, decrease the environmental pollution, encourage the role of the biological control agents and obtain better production of decontamination of fruits through using limited insecticides.