Horticulture Science Lesson 39 Identifying and Managing Plant Pests in Fruits and Vegetables Interest Approach Ask students to describe the “perfect” apple What characteristics they look for when picking an apple? After students list these traits, ask them to tell you the things that can make an apple undesirable What causes these undesirable characteristics? Student Learning Objectives •Identify insect and disease pests of fruits and vegetables •Analyze methods of pest management for fruits and vegetables Terms • aphids • apple maggot • aster yellows • Botrytis blight • brown rot • cabbage worms • cankers • codling moth Terms • Colorado potato beetle • corn earworm • cucumber beetles • damping-off • fireblight • leaf spots and blights • pathogen Terms • peach tree borer • plum curculios • root and stem rots • rusts • San Jose scale • scab • slugs • verticillium wilt What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? • Like any other crops, fruits and vegetables have pests • These pests can impair fruit or vegetable growth and production • Damage to fruits and vegetables can be enough to leave them worthless to the grower • Hundreds of insects affect the growth and yield of fruit and vegetable crops What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? • These pests can cause damage in a number of different ways – The most obvious way insects can affect plants is by consuming the foliage or fruit – Result in poor quality and contamination of the edible parts of the fruit or vegetable crop – Insects can also damage by piercing plants and sucking nutrients from them – Insects also spread disease – The consumer generally does not tolerate the presence of insects on or in fruits or vegetables – Most products must be free of insect pests to be marketable What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Aphids are pear-shaped, soft-bodied, usually wingless insects – They are often green or yellowish in color – Aphids have the ability to reproduce very rapidly – Astonishingly, they give birth to live young that are born pregnant! – Aphids use their mouthparts to pierce plants and suck out juices – Aphids attack a wide variety of fruit and vegetable plants What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Cabbage worms attack cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and other related crops – They are 1-inch-long green cabbage looper or butterfly larvae – They eat holes in the leaves and flowers What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Aster yellows is a viral disease of brambles and other crops – Symptoms of infection include discoloration of plant tissues, stunting of growth, and deformed growth – The spread from one plant to another is primarily by feeding insects What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Rusts are fungal diseases of apple, hawthorn, juniper, and other species – Symptoms of rust are bright yellow, orange, orange-red, reddish-brown, darkbrown, or black powdery raised pustules on leaves, stems, and fruit – Leaves may wither and die, and plants may be stunted What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Scab is a fungal disease common to crab apples and apples, but other species are also affected – Initially, small light brown to olive-green lesions appear on the undersides of leaves – The spots turn black; the leaves may curl; and if the petioles are infected, the leaves drop What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Leaf spots and blights are caused by fungi and bacteria – They are common with many vegetables and fruits – Most leaf spot diseases appear as small, scattered, round to oval dead areas – The appearance of the lesions varies What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Cankers have a variety of causal agents – A canker is a localized dead area in the cambium and bark of a branch or trunk – Cankers may appear sunken, flat, or swollen – They are typically discolored – Cankers can enlarge and girdle the stem, resulting in the death of all tissue beyond the infection What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Fireblight is a disease of plants in the rose family, including apples, pears, and quince – It is caused by a bacterium – Flowers, shoots, and branches may be attacked – Symptoms are leaves that wilt and turn brown, giving the plant a scorched look What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Verticillium wilt is caused by fungi – It is a vascular disease that infects both woody and herbaceous plant species – Leaves on a branch wilt and turn brown, and individual branches die back – The sapwood is discolored and has a dark streaking What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Botrytis blight is a fungal disease that can attack fruit crops – It causes a brown rotting and develops fuzzy, gray mold as it produces spores – Botrytis is most common when temperatures are between 60° and 70°F, air circulation is poor, and humidity is high What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 10 Brown rot is a fungal disease that infects ripening peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, and apricots – Rotted areas are soft and brown – Blossoms and shoots may also wilt and turn brown What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Slugs are brown to black shell-less snails ranging from ½ inch to more than inch long – Slugs feed on leaves, flowers, and fruit during the night Mice and voles are serious pests of apples – The animals chew the roots, as well as the bark on the trunk of a tree – Badly damaged trees die What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? • Insects, diseases, and weeds can be managed to reduce losses to fruits and vegetables • There are a number of general practices that are employed to manage insect and disease pest problems Select and grow disease-resistant varieties and hybrids Use seed treated with a fungicide to reduce damping-off Examine the plants for signs of disease or insect infestation and address the problem promptly What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? • Fertilize the plants properly to promote healthy growth • Use attractant baits to manage slug and snail populations • Mulch the plants to reduce soilborne diseases, reduce weed problems, and maintain uniform soil moisture • Avoid working in the garden when the plants are wet – Moisture contributes to the spread of disease What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? • Remove plant residue that has been infected with disease and dispose of it • Rotate the crops in the garden every year and avoid planting the same type of vegetable in the same location more than once every three years • 10 Eliminate weeds from around fruits and vegetables – They harbor insects and diseases – They also compete for nutrients, water, and light What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? • 11 Remove dead and diseased limbs from fruit trees – Proper pruning can increase light penetration to the foliage and inhibit disease development – It can also improve air circulation, thus reducing diseases • 12 Apply chemical pesticides to manage existing pests when other control methods have failed Review/Summary •What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? •What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? [...]... flesh of the fruit What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 8 The San Jose scale is a pest of apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries – The scale feeds on branches, leaves, and fruit – Infested fruit drops, branches lose vigor and die, and leaves and fruit have a red spotted appearance What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables?... affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 10 Brown rot is a fungal disease that infects ripening peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, and apricots – Rotted areas are soft and brown – Blossoms and shoots may also wilt and turn brown What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? Slugs are brown to black shell-less snails ranging from ½ inch to more than 1 inch long – Slugs... Rotate the crops in the garden every year and avoid planting the same type of vegetable in the same location more than once every three years • 10 Eliminate weeds from around fruits and vegetables – They harbor insects and diseases – They also compete for nutrients, water, and light What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? • 11 Remove dead and diseased limbs from fruit trees... disease What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 5 The corn earworm is a greenish-brownish striped caterpillar about 1 inch long – It feeds on the tip of the ear What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 6 The peach tree borer attacks stone tree fruit, including peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, and cherries – It damages the inner bark... The codling moth is a serious pest of the apple – The larva damages the apple by burrowing into the center of the fruit – As the larva chews its way inward, it pushes fecal material through the opening What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 10 Plum curculios attack apples, peaches, pears, plums, and cherries – Larvae tunnel through the fruit and cause the fruit to... What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 1 Root and stem rots are caused mostly by Pythium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium fungi – When plant roots and stems rot, plant growth becomes stunted, and the plant wilts easily – Pythium is one fungus that can cause damping-off – Damping-off is the early death of seedlings that have germinated – More mature plants can... dead area in the cambium and bark of a branch or trunk – Cankers may appear sunken, flat, or swollen – They are typically discolored – Cankers can enlarge and girdle the stem, resulting in the death of all tissue beyond the infection What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 7 Fireblight is a disease of plants in the rose family, including apples, pears, and quince – It... inner bark from about 12 inches above the ground to about 3 inches below the ground – Serious infestations cause individual branches or entire trees to die What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 7 The apple maggot infests apples, plums, and blueberries – The adult fly emerges between June and September – It lays an egg inside the skin of a developing fruit – The larva...What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 3 The Colorado potato beetle is a yellowish ½-inchlong beetle with brown stripes – It eats potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? 4 Cucumber beetles eat holes in the leaves of cucumbers, melons, and squash – They are about ¼ inch in size – Their... Proper pruning can increase light penetration to the foliage and inhibit disease development – It can also improve air circulation, thus reducing diseases • 12 Apply chemical pesticides to manage existing pests when other control methods have failed Review/Summary •What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? •What methods of pest management are used for fruits and vegetables? ... wilt What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? • Like any other crops, fruits and vegetables have pests • These pests can impair fruit or vegetable growth and production... egg inside the skin of a developing fruit – The larva tunnels through the flesh of the fruit What insect and disease pests affect the growth of fruits and vegetables? The San Jose scale is a pest. .. plums, and cherries – The scale feeds on branches, leaves, and fruit – Infested fruit drops, branches lose vigor and die, and leaves and fruit have a red spotted appearance What insect and disease