Agricultural News
Casebearer Threat Looms for Regional Pecan Producers
Wed, 23 May 2012 10:41:07 CDT
Agricultural experts at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation are encouraging regional pecan growers to check their groves for the first major pest of the season.
The pecan nut casebearer, an egg-laying moth, can wipe out an entire crop if left untreated. "The first generation of casebearers usually appears when pecans are young," said Charles Rohla, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Noble Foundation. "This means they can destroy full crops before most producers realize there is even a crop on the tree."
Damage from the moth usually occurs 12 to 16 days after first capture, which occurred during mid-May in Oklahoma. Pecan researchers across the United States, including Rohla at the Noble Foundation, have carefully monitored the casebearers' progression, setting traps to pinpoint its locations.
Casebearer sightings have been confirmed across all of the 14 pecan-producing states. These captures have been compiled on a website (www.pecan.ipmpipe.org) to allow producers the ability to view a national map of known infested areas and recent trappings. "With casebearers confirmed in the region, producers should check groves immediately," Rohla said. "The window to effectively treat for casebearers is already closing."
According to Rohla, the economic threshold to determine if a producer should spray or not is one damaged nut out of 310 clusters or if producers see one moth egg visible on a cluster. Additionally, groves that have experienced severe casebearer infestations have a higher likelihood of recurring outbreaks. "Two years ago, we discovered that the moths overwinter in the trees," Rohla said. "This means casebearers are already in the grove. A significant infestation one year potentially equates to a significant emergence the following year if left untreated."
Controlling the moths is a fairly simple and cost-effective process. Most producers use Intrepid®, a growth regulating chemical which does not damage beneficial insects. Intrepid® lasts up to twice as long as other chemicals and also prevents infestation from other caterpillars that emerge later in the summer.
While most pecan growers are eager to control the casebearer, some use the moth to their advantage. The moth can aid producers during particularly heavy production years by thinning out the nuts, thus promoting healthy crops the following season. This year is shaping up to be one of those heavy production years with several trees showing extremely large crops.
Still, Rohla is hesitant about recommending that the producers allow the moth to remain uncontrolled. "It's a risky proposition," he said. "If you let the casebearer situation go untreated, it could get out of hand and do more damage than expected. It is crucial to control casebearer if you have reached the economic threshold."
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