A new beetle emerging threat to nut crops in the US

Published 2024년 6월 7일

Tridge summary

Researchers at the University of California are collaborating with almond and pistachio growers to study the carpophilus beetle, a new pest to California, in an effort funded by the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board. This beetle, which was first identified in 2023 in California, has been causing around 3% to 5% damage to almonds in Australia since 2013, and has been going undetected in California orchards for possibly several years. The beetle overwinters as an adult in mummy nuts and lays eggs on them, with the larvae feeding on the nuts. Winter sanitation, which involves removing and finely shredding mummy nuts, is the current management strategy. The research aims to understand the beetle's phenology, distribution, and to evaluate chemical controls.

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Original content

University of California researchers and almond growers are seeking solutions for controlling the carpophilus beetle, a newcomer to the state that is an established pest in Australia. Although researchers have begun unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding a new beetle pest for tree nuts, they say they still have more questions than answers. “That’s why it’s scary to talk about this beetle because there are so many things we don’t know and only very few things we do know about its behavior,” said Jhalendra Rijal, a University of California Cooperative Extension integrated pest management advisor for the northern San Joaquin Valley. To try to gain answers about the new carpophilus beetle, UC researchers have developed a plan funded by the Almond Board of California and California Pistachio Research Board. Among the research objectives are determining the beetle’s phenology, or life cycle, under California conditions, confirming the beetle’s distribution within the tree canopy ...

Source: Fruitgrowersnews