Olive leaf fly: symptoms, causes, control 

 Olive leaf fly - the world of plants

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The olive leaf fly is a pest that feeds on olive leaves, causing deformities that affect the photosynthesis process. This article from the “WORLD OF PLANTS” website provides information on prevention and control.

Symptoms of olive leaf fly

  • Scientific name : Dasineura oleae
  • the family :Diptera 
  • The infestation causes symptoms of cracking and swelling on the bark of limbs, accompanied by extensive internal necrosis of the bark, causing drying of limbs or even death of entire trees.
  • Infestation occurs on leaves, causing oblong masses and deformities, while defoliation has been reported in severely infested trees.
  • . When galls form on the leaves, the plant's ability to photosynthesize is reduced, and the quantity and quality of the crop may be affected 

 Olive leaf fly - the world of plants

Description of the olive leaf fly

  • Its length is (2.5 mm). The male’s abdomen and head are yellow, while the female’s abdomen is light brown. The antennae are knobby. The larva is (3 mm) long, legless, and yellowish-white in color.  

 Olive leaf fly - the world of plants Olive leaf fly - the world of plants

Causes of olive leaf fly

  •  The availability of appropriate conditions, such as temperature and humidity, has a relationship with the development of this insect, especially as it goes through a stage of cessation of development that extends from the middle of the summer until the beginning of the spring.
  • The use of agricultural chemicals causes the elimination of many creatures and insects that maintain the natural balance.

Suitable conditions for the spread of the olive leaf fly

  • Lack of care for olive trees in general (pruning, balanced fertilization, irrigation) before harvesting them.
  •  Not taking good care of the land and plowing (excessive plowing, not removing weeds).
  •  The tree itself is weak as a result of lack of attention to potassium and nitrogen phosphorous fertilization.

Development cycle of the olive leaf fly

D. oleae eggs are laid on the lower surface of the leaf, and the hatched larvae penetrate the underlying tissue and form galls in which they live and develop until adults emerge.

 D. oleae develops one generation per year in mountainous areas and two generations in coastal areas
 Olive leaf fly - the world of plants

Losses from the spread of the olive leaf fly

  • Serious wounds on the leaves, causing them to fall and thus losing the ability to produce flower buds and fruits the following year
  • Larval feeding activity may lead to the release of plant volatiles such as linalool 

 Olive leaf fly - the world of plants

Olive leaf fly control strategy 

Preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of olive leaf fly

Pruning the insect-infected olive parts and then burning them, and irrigating the trees properly during the hot months of summer and fall

Chemical and organic control recommendations 

  • Using parasites such as  P. oleae and Q. Dasineurae
  • Use yellow sticky traps
  • Spraying systemic pesticides (dimethoate) during the insect’s active season (first March) 

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References 

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