The brown soft scale insect is an agricultural pest that poses a serious threat to grapefruit crops, causing damage that affects fruit quality and productivity. In this article, your website, WORLD OF PLANTS, we review the symptoms of this insect and how to combat it effectively.
Overview of the brown soft-bodied scale insect in grapefruit
Brown soft-bodied scale insects feed on green stems, leaves, twigs, and sometimes on fruits. Nutritional damage appears as yellowing of the leaves, but in severe cases it can lead to leaf drop.
As for indirect damage, it includes the appearance of sooty mold, which is considered more harmful than the direct damage that occurs when infected with scale insects.
Symptoms of the brown soft scale insect in grapefruit
Symptoms are related to the severity of the attack and the citrus variety lemons and grapefruit are most susceptible.
Crustaceans feed on green stems, leaves, twigs and sometimes fruits, usually near ground level.
Direct damage is often not evident until a large number of scale insects are infested.
Nutritional damage appears as yellowing of the leaves and, in severe cases, leaf drop.
Sooty mold may also colonize honeydew produced by crustaceans, which leads to distortion of leaves and fruits.
Sooty mold can cause much more damage than the scale infestation itself.
Infected trees show a general weakness in the number and quality of fruits, and when they grow to maturity they are usually smaller in size.
The brown soft-bodied crustacean rarely kills its host, but young citrus trees are affected in their future growth and productivity.
Organic control of the brown soft scale insect in grapefruit
Natural enemies also include the parasitic wasps Hymenoptera Metaphycus luteulus, Microterus nitneri, Metaphycus helvulus, the oncertus fly, Incarsia citrina, and the coccophagus fly.
The most common predatory flying insects are parasitic flies, lion aphids (Hymenoptera Chrysoba, Chrysoberla), and Smotylista sinea, as well as ladybird beetles, Rhizobius lavanthi.
Pathogenic fungi and some nematodes are particularly effective in relatively high humidity conditions.
As well as organic treatments that include plant oils/extracts (eg pyrethrum or fatty acids).
Chemical control of the brown mollusc scale insect in grapefruit
Always consider an integrated approach with preventive measures together with biological control, if available.
It is very difficult to control the brown soft scale insect.
But products containing chlorpyrifos, dimethoate or malathion can work well against this insect. Narrow band oil spray can also be used to complement these treatments.
Fungicides can be used to prevent mildew from infesting and spreading.
In any case, broad-spectrum insecticides should be avoided, as they can disturb beneficial insects.
Cause of disease
Symptoms are caused by the feeding activity of the brown soft-bodied scale insect.
It is a common pest of citrus fruits, and is found particularly in tropical and subtropical regions as well as in greenhouses.
The peak season is from mid-summer to early fall. Males move by flight and look much like a winged wasp or fly, but they are rarely seen.
The females are oval, flat, soft and attached to the underside of the leaves.
When these crustaceans reach maturity, their color changes from green to brown. The eggs are laid in a type of incubation chamber located in the cells.
The tiny creepers quickly spread from there, searching for a suitable feeding place on the branches, along the stems or on the main veins of leaves or fruits.
It can also be carried by wind to surrounding trees, which may cause the spread of the pathogen.
Preventive measures for the brown soft scale insect in grapefruit
- Be sure to inspect all plant materials for scales before introducing them into greenhouses or fields.
- Monitor your orchard regularly for signs of crustaceans and scrape them off if their numbers are low.
- Remove severely infested leaves and branches and burn them.
- You must also prune trees adequately to improve ventilation within the canopy and create unfavorable conditions for the growth of crustaceans.
- It is also advisable to place barriers or traps around the stems and roots of trees to obstruct the ants that protect the crustaceans and feed on their honey droppings.
- Do not use broad-spectrum insecticides that can affect beneficial insects.
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