LBAM Quarantine Change

Dan Fruits & Vegetables, Tree, nut & vine crops

quarantineThe Light Brown Apple Moth Quarantine regulatory constraints are being lifted in the Oxnard area of Ventura County and the Linden area of San Joaquin County based on the life cycle projection model.

The Light Brown Apple Moth Quarantine Boundary has changed in the following grids:

San Joaquin County-Linden | Grid 191
Ventura County-Oxnard| Grid 436
Grids 453, 192, and 181 have been removed
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/lbam/regulation.html

From: CDFA

Description

Adults are light brown, yellowish moths with varying amounts of darker brown, with a wingspan of 16–25 mm (Fig. 1). Females are larger than males, and usually have less distinct markings, but often have a distinct spot in the middle when the wings are closed. Eggs are pale white and deposited slightly overlapping each other in groups of 20–50. Larvae are green, about 18 mm long at maturity. They are superficially similar to other native tortricid larvae and DNA analysis is necessary to confirm their identity. Pupae are brown, about 11 mm long.

Hosts

LBAM has been associated with many plants representing 290 genera (USDA 2008). These genera contain over 2000 species and many of these species that are not already known to be hosts could prove to be hosts as LBAM becomes exposed to them. Some notable trees recorded as hosts are apple, pear, peach, apricot, nectarine, citrus, persimmon, cherry, almond, avocado, oak, willow, walnut, poplar, cottonwood, Monterey pine and eucalyptus. Some common shrub and herbaceous hosts are grape, kiwifruit, strawberry, berries (blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, and raspberry), corn, pepper, tomato, pumpkin, beans, cabbage, carrot, alfalfa, rose, camellia, pittosporum, jasmine, chrysanthemum, clover, lupine and plantain.

Life Cycle and Damage

Development is continuous, with no true dormancy (Venette et al. 2003). In Australia, this moth typically has three generations per year and over–winters as a larva. Life cycle projections for the areas of California where it has been found indicate that four to five generations are possible. Females deposit egg masses containing 20–50 eggs on the upper leaf surface or on fruit. Fecundity varies considerably and females are capable of laying up to 1496 eggs in their lifetime, but the average has been recorded variously as 118 to 462. Larvae disperse and construct silken shelters on the underside of leaves, usually near a midrib or large vein. Older larvae roll together leaves and buds or fruit with webbing. Damage to fruit occurs as surface feeding by the larvae. Larvae will occasionally enter the fruit to feed. Pupation takes place within the larval nests.