Insect pests in apple (Malus domestca Borkh) gardens: Review

Abstract

Apple (Malus domestica), is one of the most important fruit trees cultivated in temperate regions but, newly introduced in Uganda for its income and nutritional importance. However, apples are found to be susceptible to arthropod pests, some known to cause damages on both the plant and fruits. Some of these insect pests are known while others are still unknown and could be effectively managed through integrated pest management methods. For any effective Integrated insect Pest Management, it is necessary to have enough information about the biology and ecology of a given pest, including, spatial distribution and factors that affect pest species’ distribution. Therefore, in this paper, systematic information on insect pests damaging apple fruit trees was reviewed. Different recent literature on insect pests hosted by apples under different agroecological systems of the world was reviewed. The review focused on classifying common insect pests, preferred varieties and their ecological distribution. This was achieved by using the ISI Web of Science bibliographic database and search terms such as apple entomofauna and insect pests were used, with specific keywords of [apple*] AND [insect*] AND [pest]. It was found out that, insect pests in apples belong to several groups of invasive pests which include Coleoptera and Polydrusus (beetles, weevils), Diptera (leaf, seed, fruit flies), Hemiptera (aphids, psyllids, bugs and scales), Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps ants, bees), Thysanoptera (thrips), Trombidiformes (mites) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) that are of economic value. This work, again reveals dramatic rates of appearance of isect pests in orchards in Africa and elsewhere, which have compromised apple industry’s growth. The review pieced together known information about the insect pests that occurs in apples in different geographical locations. But, information on insect pest in Uganda’s apple orchards remained scanty, which calls for an immediate detailed study on the same.

Behavior and injuries of phytophagous mites on apple trees (Malus domestica: Rosaceae)

“…It disperses through the air over long distances while migrating shorter distances among nearby trees in apple orchards (Uesugi et al 2009). In apple cultivation, it has been reported causing damage in various parts of the world (He et al 2001;Liu et al 2006;Funayama 2010;Kamusiime et al 2023). In Brazil, it has been reported in apple orchards (Moraes and Flechtmann 2008) however, recent surveys have not found the species in the assessed orchards (Silva et al 2022).…”

Assessing Panonychus ulmi (Acari: Tetranychidae) Infestations and Their Key Predators on Malus domestica Borkh in Varied Ecological Settings

“…Malus domestica, commonly known as the apple tree, is a deciduous tree that belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is widely cultivated for its fruit, apples, which come in various colors, flavors, and textures [1]. Its probable origins trace back to the mountainous regions of Central Asia, thriving at altitudes between 1200 and 1800 m [2,3].…”