Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
during the wet season; the fruits get mummifi ed and stay on the tree or drop,
and the infected leaves show water-soaked spots that turn brown-black.
Another sweetsop fruit disease is attributed to
Gliocladium roseum
, which
af ects 20-90% of the fruit in India. Symptoms consist of water-soaked
spots, which turn soft and brown. There is also a bacterial wilt caused by
P.
solanacearum
that produces a rapid wilting and death of young trees and slow
decline of old trees. Vascular discoloration occurs of woody tissues of the roots
up to the trunk at ground level.
INSECT PESTS
Some insect pests occur in numerous growing areas (Table 6.7). One of the
most serious insects in Trinidad is the
Cerconota
moth, which lays its eggs on
young fruit. The emerging larvae tunnel into the pulp, causing blackened,
necrotic areas. It is common to fi nd every fruit larger than 7.5 cm infested.
Table 6.7.
Major insect pests of
Annonas
.
Common name
Organism
Parts affected
Country/region
Bephrata wasp
(soursop wasp)
Bephrata maculicollis
Fruit
Mexico, Americas,
Trinidad,
Surinam
Wasp
Bephratelloides
paraguayensis
Fruit
Americas,
Barbados
Cerconota annonella
Cerconota moth
(soursop moth)
Fruit
Americans,
Trinidad,
Surinam
Thecla ortygnus
Thecla moth
Flowers, young
fruit
Americas,
Caribbean
Banana spotting bug
Amblyphelta
lutescens
Young fruit
Queensland
Dysmicoccus
spp.
Mealy bug
Stem, leaves
Universal
Planococcus citri
Citrus mealy bug
Fruit
Queensland
Southern stink bug
Nezara viridula
Fruit
Caribbean
Anastrepha suspensa
Caribbean fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Caribbean, Mexico
Ceratitis capitata
Mediterranean fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Peru, Spain
Bactrocera tryoni
Queensland fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Australia
Potato leaf hopper
Empoasca fabae
Leaves
Caribbean
Several genera and
species
Red spider mite
Leaves,
fl
owers
American tropics
Scale insects
Saissetia coffeae
Leaves, stem
Universal
Aspidiotus destructor
,
other genera and
species
Coconut scale
insect
Leaves, stem
Caribbean
