Climate change is creating favorable conditions for the proliferation of new pests affecting plants and foliage in particular. In addition to traditional pests, there are numerous species that can attack both fruit trees and ornamental trees. Attacks by insects that destroy leaves become more often, Larisa Munteanu, chief inspector at the National Food Safety Agency, told IPN.
Leaf-boring insects belong to the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera, and often the damage done by these insects are indistinguishable from each other. “In order to identify the harmful species, we must regularly examine the tree and monitor the spectrum of pests that populate the tree or plantation, and this way we can contribute to estimating the need for protective measures”, explained the inspector.
Other pests such as Hemiptera insects may be observed as well. It is a dangerous pest for fruit trees, vines, ornamental trees and shrubs, including willows, poplars, lindens and oaks. The insects have a green body with small spots. It has one generation per year and overwinters in the egg stage. The larvae emerge from the eggs and look for plants to feed on. Cicadas have stinging mouthparts, feeding on the leaves of a large number of plants. When considerable damage is done, it is recommended to apply an authorized insecticide, said Larisa Munteanu.
Fungal leaf blight in stone fruit trees is another disease that occurs frequently in the springs preceded by mild winters. Light brown spots 2-4 millimeters in diameter appear on the leaves, after which necrosis occurs, and the spots detach and fall, finally the leaf has a wrinkled appearance. In this case, specialists recommend cutting the severely affected branches and destroying them, then applying a treatment with authorized cupric products.
The list of pesticides can be found on the State Register’s website. Repeated processing with the same preparation should be avoided, as it can lead to pests developing immunity.
