Investigation into the overwintering and winter-management of the common pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae (Hemiptera: aphalaridae), a major pest in pistachio plantations

ABSTRACT

Overwintering sites and winter-management of the common pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt & Lauterer, a serious pest of the cultivated pistachio Pistacia vera Linnaeus, were surveyed in pistachio orchards in Rafsanjan, south Iran, through 2010 and 2012. Agonoscena pistaciae overwinters within orchards, preferentially concealed under organic material on the ground. Plant litter, including old pistachio leaves and weed residue such as dead grass, supported the greatest numbers of adult psyllids during the late autumn through early spring. Emergence began in late February and lasted for about 50 days. The number of psyllids that emerged from fallen dead leaves mixed with weed residue was about 15 times greater than the number of psyllids that emerged from bare ground. This result verified the suggestion that A. pistaciae might be controlled whilst overwintering. Winter ploughing of the orchard floor caused a significant reduction in the density of the psyllid population. Orchard sanitation, such as the removal and burial of any organic materials left at orchard’s margins between late December and late February is also considered critical for the cultural control of A. pistaciae. Cultural control measures at this time can be a very useful method for reducing overwintering populations of this psyllid.

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural practices
• cultural control
• hibernation
• pistachio pest

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Dr C. Hodgson for a critical review of this manuscript and R. Mirzaei and A. Radjabi for assistance in field sampling. The Pistachio Research Centre of Iran supported this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.