Seasonal activity and damage caused by peach twig borer Anarsia lineatella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on different peach cultivars

Peach twig borer (PTB), Anarsia lineatella Zeller, is the most critical pest of peach and other stone fruits in different parts of the world. The objectives of this study were to determine adults’ seasonal activity and damage caused by PTB on different peach cultivars (Zafarani, Kardi, Elberta, Red top, and GF677) under natural conditions. The seasonal flight of the adults using pheromone traps indicated that PTB completed three generations per year in peach orchards, Saman, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Iran. The accumulated degree-days throughout the pest activity from April to October were 1916 and 1803 DD in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The ratio of twig and fruit infestation and the number of larval galleries/fruit were studied among the cultivars using a completely randomized block design in four replicates. According to the results, the highest ratio of twig infestation was observed on GF677 followed by Zafarani, whereas the lowest on Elberta followed by Kardi cultivar. The longest larval galleries (68.44 ± 1.28 and 56.80 ± 1.24 mm) was observed on GF677, whereas the shortest on Elberta cultivar (39.20 ± 1.64 and 32.40 ± 1.36 mm in 2014 and 2015, respectively). The highest ratio of fruit damage and larval galleries/fruit were observed on Kardi, whereas the lowest was on Red top cultivar. According to the results, the cultivars with hard tissues of twigs and early maturing fruits significantly reduced PTB damage and are recommended for pest management in the infested regions.