2. APPLE
A temperate fruit.
Accounts for 10 per cent of total fruit production of
country.
India is the 9th largest producer.
Washington states 1st in world.
India produces about 1.3 million tonnes annually.
58% : Jammu and Kashmir
29% : Himachal Pradesh
12% : Uttarakhand
1% : Arunachal Pradesh
10 to 30 per cent loss due to pest.
120 insect pest are reported.
3. MAJOR PESTS OF APPLE
Common names Scientific name Order Family
San Jose scale Quadraspidiotus perniciosus Comstock Hemiptera Diaspididae
Woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum Hausman Hemiptera Aphididae
European red mite Panonychus ulmi Koch Acarina Eriophyidae
Blossom thrips Thrips flavus Schrank Thysanoptera Thripidae
Codling moth Cydia pomonella Linnaeus Lepidoptera Tortricidae
Apple root borer Dorysthenes hugelli Redtenbacher Coleoptera Cerambycidae
Apple stem borer Apriona cinerea Cheverlot Coleoptera Cerambycidae
Tent caterpillar Malacosoma indica Walker Coleoptera Lasiocampidae
Indian gypsy moth Lymantria obfuscata Walker Lepidoptera Lymantridae
Apple maggot Rhagoletis pomonella Diptera Tephritidae
4. CODLING MOTH
Cydia pomonella Linneaus
Lepidoptera : Tortricidae
Most notorious of all the apple pests.
In addition to apple, the fruits of pear, quince,
walnut may be damaged.
Adult forewings are dark grayish with waxy lines
with a copper colored eye like circle toward
margin.
Egg laying singly on fruits, leaves and twigs.
Full grown larva pinkish or creamy white with
brown head.
Larvae appears to be cannibalistic.
Pupation takes place in bark of tree.
5.
6. DAMAGE
Larva causes the heaviest
damage.
Neonate larva enters the
fruit through calyx and
feeds on pulp.
Infested fruits lose their shape and fall
prematurely.
30 to 70 per cent apple fruits are rendered
unmarketable.
7. IPM
Thorough clean up of orchard.
Scrapping lose bark from old trees.
Collection and destruction of fallen fruits.
Mating disruption dispenser.
Moth pheromone trap can be used.
8. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Birds; Parus major and Passer domesticus prey upon
overwintering larvae.
Spray of Carpovirusine (GV of moth) at fortnightly
interval.
First release of Trichogramma embryophagum within
the first appearance of moth.
Subsequent release at weekly interval.
CHEMICAL CONTROL
Spraying (before caterpillar enter into fruit), 700 ml
endosulfan 35 EC, 2.0 kg carbaryl 50 WP in 500 lt of
water/ha.
In case of abundance tree should be banded with
chemically treated bands.
9. SAN JOSE SCALE
Quadraspidiotus perniciosus Comstock
Hemiptera : Diaspididae
Pest of 700 different species of fruits, shrubs
and ornamental plants.
Pest is active from March to December.
Passes winter in nymphal stage in tree bark.
Insect body covered with brown or black
scales.
Yellow lemon insect is visible when covering
is lifted.
Each female gives birth to 200-400 nymphs.
Five to six generations in a year.
10. DAMAGE
Nymph and female scales attack all
above ground parts.
Feeding site turns into a characteristic
purplish red colour.
Initially growth of plant is checked but as scale
increases in number plant may die.
Fruits will have distinct “measles”
spots on the surface.
11. IPM
Collection and destruction of infected pruned material.
Adult emergence monitoring with special sex pheromone
traps.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Parasite, Encarsia perniciasi with Aphytis diaspidis may give upto 86.5 per cent
parasitism.
Coccinellid predators.
Chilocorus bijugus Mulsant
Chilocorus rubidus Hope
Pharoscymnus flexibilies Mulsant
CHEMICAL CONTROL
Spray trees with
Thiamethoxam : 0.05%
Tree basin
Imidacloprid : 0.007%
Chlorpyriphos : 0.05%
12. WOOLLY APPLE APHID
Eriosoma lanigerum Hausman
Hemiptera : Aphididae
Native of Eastern United States.
First noticed in 1909 in Shimla on nursery stocks imported
from Egland.
Most active during March to October.
Adult and nymph redish brown in colour.
Covered with waxy filaments.
Reproduces parthenogenetically.
Each female produces 116 young ones in her life.
13 generations a year.
There is partial migration from aerial parts to the roots of
infested plant in December
Reverse migration from root to aerial parts takes place in April
and May.
13. WOOLLY APPLE APHID NYMPHS WOOLLY APPLE APHID ADULTS
WOOLLY APPLE APHID AERIAL COLONY
14. DAMAGE
Nymphs and adults suck cell sap from
bark of twigs and from underground parts.
Underground feeding produces
large knots on roots.
Heavily infected plant have a short fibrous INFESTED ROOTS
root system and yellowish foliage which
can be easily uprooted.
IPM
Aphids usually spread through infested stocks, avoid planting
infested stocks.
Use of resistant stocks Golden Delicius, Northern Spy and
Morton Stocks 778, 779, 789 and 793.
15. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Parasitoid, Aphelinus mali
Predators
Coccinella septempunctata
Chrysoperla carnea
Menochilus sexmaculus
Syrphus confactor
CHEMICAL CONTROL
Treat nursery plant with chlorpyriphos or fenitrothion 0.05%.
For root forms: Methyl oxydemeton 25 EC in 500 lt of water/ha
during winter.
Spray tree with thiamethoxam 0.05%.
Root fumigation: Paradichlorobenzene granules in 15 cm deep
trench dug around infested tree.
16. EUROPEAN RED MITE
Panonychus ulmi Koch
Acarina : Tetranychidae
This mite occurs on many deciduous fruits
but is most injurious to apple.
Adult male dull green to fulvous.
Female bright to brownish red with curved
spines on their back.
Eggs are laid on the twigs and smaller branches of tree.
Egg hatch into a six legged larval stage just before bloom.
Larva passes through eight legged protonymph and
deutonymph before becoming adult.
17. DAMAGE
European red mite feeds on
leaves.
Severe mite injury produces
browning and loss of colour
in the leaves i.e. bronzing.
IPM
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
Chrysoperla carnea
Predatory mite, Ambelacious fallocis, Stethorus
punctum important predator in Northwest.
18. CHEMICAL CONTROL
For killing egg, a dormant or delayed dormant
application of a 3%. Superior or regular type
oil emulsion.
Acaricidal fungicides such as binapacryl
dinocap. Propineb, can control mite
population.
New acaricides: tebufenpyrad, fenazaquin,
fenpyroximate.
19. TENT CATERPILLAR
Malacosoma indica Walker
Lepidoptera : Lasiocampidae
Important pest of apple, in North Western India being more serious in
Shimla hills.
Pest is active from March-May, passes 9 moth of year in egg stage.
Caterpillar is progeny of a light reddish brown moth with two whitish
stripes running across each of the forewings.
Male are short lived and female may survive for 2 to 5 days.
Female lays egg in broad bands consisting of 200 to 400 eggs.
Caterpillar soon after emergence gather near a fork and spins a big tent
like web.
Web is used for resting during night or when weather is bad.
Pupation takes place in stem, between leaves and among dry debrish in
ground.
20. ADULT AND EGGS OF TENT
CATERPILLAR
LARVAE OF TENT CATERPILLAR
21. DAMAGE
Caterpillars during the night rest
at their nest and at day they feed
on leaves.
In severe infestation, the entire plant may be
defoliated and subsequently the caterpillar
may feed on bark of twigs.
When severe infestation 40-50 per cent plants
in orchard may be defoliated producing a poor
harvest.
22. IPM
Pruning and burning of twigs
containing egg mass (Dec-Jan).
Mopping up the tent with pole and
some rags dipped in kerosene
tied on its end.
Parasitoid Tachnid fly
Virus also cause diseases to caterpillar.
Spray 0.05% nimbecidine or B.t. based Halt
0.02%
(Singh and Pandey, 2004)
23. INDIAN GYPSY MOTH
Lymantria obfuscata Walker
Lepidoptera : Lymantridae
Pest of apricot, apple, walnut also forest trees.
Female moth dark grey with atrophied wings.
Males are comparatively active flier.
Female lays a mass of round, shining and light
grayish brown egg under the loose bark (June-July).
Caterpillar 40-50 mm long and clothed in tuft of hairs.
Larval period 66-100 days.
Pupation takes place in ground among fallen leaves.
25. DAMAGE
Caterpillars are gregarious but
voracious feeder.
They eat voraciously on leaves
at night time.
Under heavy infestation entire
leaf eaten sparing only hard vein.
Defoliation of host completely results in failure of fruit
formation.
IPM
Egg mass covered with yellowish hair so easily
visible they should be hunted and destroyed
(between August-March).
A band of burlap around the tree trunk affords shelter
for larvae in day time these band examined
frequently and larvae destroyed.
26. BIOCONTROL
Egg parasitoid, Anastatuis kashmiriensis Mathur.
Larval parasitoid, Cottesia melanoscela Ratzeburg,
Glyptapantelos indiensis Marsh, G. flevicoxis Marsh
Pupal parasitoid, Brachymera intermedia, B. lasus.
CHEMICAL CONTROL
Spray 700 ml endosulfan 35 EC or 2.0 kg carbaryl 50
WP in 500 litres of water/ha.
27. APPLE STEM BORER
Apriona cinerea Cheverlot
Coleoptera : Cerambycidae
Destructive stem borer of apple, peach, fig and other
fruits.
Adult beetles 35-50 mm long and grey in colour
having long antennae.
Female lays egg inside cavity on a shoot.
Grub emerge in 7-8 days and start feeding by boring
inside the stem.
Grub longevity 2 years.
Grub remains quiescent during winter and resume
feeding in March.
Pupation takes place inside a tunnel made in the
woody tissue.
28. DAMAGE
Caused by grub and adult, grub more
destructive.
Grub makes a tunnel and reaches close to
trunk of tree.
Vitality and productivity of plant is greatly
impaired.
Adult feed on bark and have an unusual habit
of cutting more than they consume.
29. IPM
Prune and burn all attacked shoot and
branches during winter.
Insert a cotton wick soaked in petrol or carbon
disulphide or chloroform and sealing them with
mud.
Place Paradichlorbenzene 0.5 gm inside the
holes and plug them.
30. APPLE ROOT BORER
Dorysthenes hugelii Redtenbacher
Coleoptera : Cerambycidae
Very damaging root borer in Kumaon region of
Himalayas.
Adult beetle red chest nut in colour with head and
thorax darker than elytra.
Adults become active at night.
Female lays egg in clusture about 8 mm deep in soil.
Grub creamy white with black head and mandibles.
Larval period lasts for 3 years.
Male die soon after mating and female live for 10-12
days only.
31. DAMAGE
Caused by grub, young larva feeds on organic
matter in the soil for sometime until finally it
bores into the root.
Young tree die immediately whereas the older
ones become weaken and fall down eventually
owing to the action of strong winds.
32. IPM
Adult beetles can be light trapped and killed by
dipping in water containing kerosene.
Removal of undecomposed wood and manual
destruction of borer.
Avoid sandy soil for planting.
Collect and destruct grubs during preparation
of tree basin.
Once the infestation has occurred, treat tree
basin with phorate granules @ 100 g a.i. per
tree.
33. APPLE MAGGOT
Rhagoletis pomonella
Diptera : Tephritidae
A very injurious apple pest in North
Eastern states and Canada.
Adults (flies) are black with white
bands between segments on
abdomen.
Wings are marked with oblique black bands.
Maggots are carrot shaped, white and legless.
Eggs are laid just under the skin of fruit.
Maggot makes a tunnel through the apple when fully
grown leaves the fruit and enter the soil for pupation.
Adult emergence in mid June.
34. DAMAGE
Caused by maggot.
Maggots are called ‘railroad’ because they leave brown
winding trail just under fruit skin.
Burrowing of maggot sometime reduce apple to a brown
rotten mass.
Premature fall of infested fruits.
35. IPM
Collection and destruction of all fallen infested fruits.
Adult monitoring with “Sticky red sphere” and “Yellow sticky
panel”.
Spray before egg laying.
Parathion (Parathion 50 EC) and Phosmet (Imidan 50 WP).
36. BLOSSOM THRIPS
Thrips flavus Schrank
Thysanoptera : Thripidae
Blossom thrips are winged
sucking rasping insects
ranging from 5-14 mm in length.
Their slender bodies are shiny
pale or black with silver stripes.
Life cycle completed in 11-43 days.
Produce many generations in a year heaviest
damage occur in spring.
In colder region, life cycle is longer with fewer
generations.
37. DAMAGE
Nymph and adult feed by rasping the petal,
vital flower parts and leaves.
Affected leaves and blossom may fall
prematurely.
Heavily infected blossom may become
distorted and may open only in one side.
Unchecked growth of thrips may cause poor
fruit set and thus severe crop loss.
38. IPM
Clean cultivation and digging of beds in winter
can expose them to natural enemies.
Predators: Lady bird beetle, aphid lion.
Spray of fenitrothion 0.05% at green tip stage.
To check population a cluster of flower dipped
in water and then thrips can be counted easily.
If still > 10 thrips/blossom, 2nd spray of
endosulfan 0.05% at pink bud stage.
39. CONCLUSION
Most of IPM practices in Apple Crop
should be done during dormant stage of
tree (October to March)
Less pest emergence during flowering and
fruiting.
Less damage to crop.
To promote IPM implementation, special
emphasis is necessary to generate
increased awareness and transfer of
recommended IPM practices.
