Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 7.6.
Some important insect pests of avocado.
Parts affected,
symptoms
Common name
Organism
Region or country
Mediterranean fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Hawaii
Ceratitis capitata
Oriental fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Hawaii
Dacus dorsalis
Queensland fruit
fl
y
Fruit
Australia
Bactrocera tryoni
Black coffee twig
borer
Branches, twigs
Hawaii
Xylosandrus
compactus
Chinese rose beetle
Leaves of young
plants
Hawaii
Adoretus sinicus
Fuller rose beetle
Leaves of young
plants
Hawaii
Pantomorus godmani
Spotting bug
Young fruits
Australia
Amblypelta nitida
Pine-tree thrips
(greenhouse thrips)
Fruit scarring
California,
Florida,
South Africa,
Hawaii, Canary
Islands (wide
distribution)
Heliothrips
haemorrhoidalis
Red-banded thrips
Leaves, fruit
scarring
Wide distribution
Selenothrips
rubrocinctus
Fruit and twig borer
Perforates fruit,
seed, shoot
terminals
Tropics
Stenoma catenifer
Seed and fruit borer
Seed and fruit
Tropics
Heilipus laurii
Seed borer
Seed and fruit
Mexico
Conotrachelus
perseae
Stem borer
Stems and
branches
Tropics
Xyleborus
spp.
Red spider mite
Leaves, fruit
scarring
Mainly Chile
Oligonychus yothersi
Scales
Leaf scarring
Mexico
Oligonychus perseae
Sap suckers
Wide distribution
Saissetia
and others
Oriental fruit fl y (
D. dorsalis
)
at the mature green harvest stage. Under dry
conditions, eggs are deposited between the pedicel and the fruit, making
it a host.
Weed control
Young avocado trees are sensitive to herbicides, so weeding around the trees is
usually done manually. Black polyethylene mulch around the plant is ef ective
