New pests threaten citrus a report from the citrus research board

摘要

California agriculture is bracing for a fight with a tiny, but destructive pest. Citrus Peelminer - Marmara gulosa - has spread from the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, into the Central Valley and is dining on much more than citrus. Citrus peelminer larvae feed in a mine just below the epidermal layer of the citrus peel. This type of feeding activity creates long, winding scars on the fruit surface and once this damage occurs, the fruit becomes unacceptable for the fresh market. A native of the southwest, citrus peelminer began in willows and moved to oleanders planted for windbreaks in the region. From there it infested cotton in light numbers in Arizona and was found on bell peppers. It is anyone's guess where the pest will strikenext.