Beetle Continued from Page 6
storage in Italy and Argentina. Wilson, Haviland and Rijal are also cur- rently developing a game plan for research and Extension activities in the 2024 season. Wilson and Haviland have already been in contact with their Australian counter- parts to discuss their experiences with the pest in almonds and pistachios, as well as their research to date. “The Australians have been great,” said Wilson, who is based at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Parlier. “There’s a lot of discussion with colleagues in Australia to put together a re- search and Extension program for 2024 and beyond. It’s definitely a collaboration.” The Australians have already isolated an attraction pheromone specific to C. truncatus that can be used in monitoring traps. Wilson said he hoped to obtain the compound so they can begin monitoring for the beetle and developing phenology, or life-cycle, models in California in 2024. Although adult beetles can feed on the kernels, larvae account for the bulk of dam- age. Adults are black and 2-3 millimeters long—about half the size of an uncooked medium-grain rice grain. Female beetles lay eggs on the nut during hull split. The larvae make pin- head-size holes as they burrow through the kernel. C. truncatus damage differs from dam- age caused by the navel orangeworm in
Navel orangeworms are messy feeders, leaving behind course frass, or excrement, and webbing in nuts. Winter sanitation efforts seek to rid orchards of worm populations and a new California pest, the carpophilus beetle.
that the beetle larvae tend to consume the kernel meat but not the brown skin. In doing so, they leave behind fine, white, powdery frass, or excrement, along with almond meal but no webbing. Navel orangeworm larvae, on the other hand, produce large amounts of webbing and courser, darker frass as they feed on the kernel, including the brown skin. Because the beetles spend much of their lives protected inside nuts, Wilson said the role of insecticides as management tools is unclear. One biological product researchers want to examine is Beauveria bassiana, a naturally occurring beneficial fungus that
has shown some efficacy against the bee- tle. But Wilson said further work is needed to determine how reliable a strategy it is. C. truncatus’ origin remains unknown. Wilson said UC researchers hope to work with the other countries where the pest has been found to compare genetic fingerprints. “We’ll most likely collaborate with Italy, Argentina and, of course, Australia, to see how interrelated those populations are to ours and to understand the spread that is occurring so rapidly,” he said. Wilson also is asking growers and pest
control advisors to be on the lookout for C. truncatus and report suspected finds to their local farm advisor, UCCE specialist or county agricultural commissioner. “The most important thing growers and PCAs can do right now to control carpo- philus beetle is sanitize. I cannot empha- size this enough,” Wilson said. “Like navel orangeworm, these beetles overwinter in mummy nuts, and so it is imperative to re- move and destroy those nuts.” (Vicky Boyd is a reporter in Modesto. She may be contacted at vlboyd@att.net.)
TRG Job NUMBER: RAM22_073267 Ag Season Print Ad CLIENT: RAM JOB NAME: California Region Ad TRIM: 4.75" x 5" LIVE: N/A BLEED: N/A COLOR(S): 4C QUESTIONS CALL: Karen Newman @ 214-891-5875
CHA L L ENGE
America’s Most Loyal Pickup Owners
RAM.COMAGRICULTURE
Based on IHS Markit U.S. household model loyalty for all Light Duty and Heavy Duty pickups in calendar year 2021. Ram is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.
RED BLUFF RED BLUFF DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM 530-366-3166 www.redbluffdodge.com
12/19/22 4:37 PM REDDING CROWN MOTORS 530-241-4321 www.crowndodgecalifornia.com
RAM22_073267_CA Region_4_75x5.indd 1
December 20, 2023 Ag Alert 7
Powered by FlippingBook