Article from
VSCNews, Vegetable and Specialty Crop News
by Breanna
Kendrick
Managing Scales in Peach Orchards
Cory Penca, a Ph.D. candidate as well as a student in the Doctor of
Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida, recently presented
at the Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. His presentation
covered basic pest management tactics for scales, among many other
pests of peaches.
Scales are difficult to manage because they
have a waxy protective layer and they reproduce rapidly. The main scale
species in Florida are San Jose scale and white peach scale, which
cause similar damage and can be managed in much the same way.
Typically,
the recommendation for controlling scales is to use two dormant
Superior oil sprays per year. However, phytotoxicity and spraying
during warm temperatures are concerns. It’s not recommended to use
these oils when temperatures are below 25 °F or above 68 °F. In Florida,
there’s not many times the temperature is consistently below 68 °F, so
it’s difficult.
“There’s also insect growth regulators, which
are chemicals that affect the development of the scale pests,” said
Penca. “These work really well. The only downfall is that they can be
more expensive than other pesticides, and the key for scale control is
good coverage. So, using a slower speed when your spraying and making
sure you’re penetrating through the canopy and the entire tree is
essential to scale management.”
Also, studies have shown
pesticide use may lead to scale increases due to killing the natural
enemies, including tiny parasitic wasps that attack scale. Therefore,
Penca advises limiting pesticide use to protect natural enemies and to
reduce scale problems.
Cory Penca
is an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant
Medicine program at the University of Florida.
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