Anyone wanting this newsletter by email please send me a note at the above email address and I’ll put you the list. If any one has had an address change from a rural route box number to a 911 address please let me know so I can make the change. I have had to drop several producers because of returned letters with incorrect/old addresses.

GENERAL
Although it is hard to make general comments for a state as big as Texas I think overall we are starting off on the right foot. Unfortunately there was some hail activity last week in Williamson, Robertson and Milam counties where an estimated 1,500 acres of pecans in Milam were severely damaged. The hail activity started around Georgetown and extended to Hearne. Thousands of acres of corn, milo, cotton and other crops were also damaged.

INSECTS
Asian Ambrosia Beetle
Its been awhile since this little insect has reared its head but I have received a few calls this spring and thought I should say a few words. Most of the calls have been from ornamental nurseries so I’m not sure how many pecans have been infested.

Infestations from this insect are characterized by small toothpick like protrusions from the main trunk and scaffold limbs. Each “toothpick” represents an entry by a mated female. These protrusions can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1 inch in length and are very fragile.

Infestations can occur as early as mid February and continue up through May. Most infestations I have observed have been on trees less than 4 inches in diameter and the reported distribution has been east Texas (mostly east of the Trinity River) and along the gulf coast.

Any tree that is observed with numerous “hits” should be removed and burned and surrounding trees should receive trunk sprays of either chlorpyrifos (Lorsban 4E) or a pyrethroid. Infested trees will die back to the lowest point of infestation.

Phylloxera
Insecticide applications for this insect should have gone out by now. Phylloxera galls will start to become apparent next month and there is nothing that can be done after gall formation. For additional information on the different pecan phylloxera species see Pecan South, May-June 1987, pp 5-12, “Identifying Phylloxera” by Manya Stoetzel.

Sawfly
Small holes in the new foliage are usually the result of sawfly activity. Sawfly larvae can be found on the underside of the leaf and are the same color as the leaf so they are hard to spot. These larvae are actually the larvae of a wasp (Hymenoptera) and there is only one generation per season. No insecticide is needed for this insect.

Pecan nut casebearer
This is a reminder that producers in the northern part of the state should be placing their PNC pheromone traps in the orchard.

The PNC pheromone trap has to be one of the most useful pest management tools you can use. These traps are inexpensive and will provide you with important information on the start of PNC activity. Although these traps can not tell you if you have to treat or not this trap will tell you when egg lay starts and when nut entry starts. From many years of trap monitoring I am confident that egg lay starts between 7 to 10 days after your first initial catch with nut entry starting 12 to 16 days after this initial catch.

PNC traps have been around for awhile now and should be available at most dealerships that cater to the pecan industry. Traps can be purchased as “kits” with kits containing from 1 to 3 traps plus extra lures and trap bottoms. Remember that any lure not being used should be stored in the freezer. We recommend 3 to 5 traps be used for orchards of 50 acres or less and at least 5 traps for orchards larger than 50 acres.

I always recommend that producers purchase at least twice what they might need. For example if you have a 25 acre orchard and want to use 3 traps, order at least 6. If one of our Spring storms blows you traps into t he next county or into the river, you have extras on hand and will not lose valuable monitoring time by having to wait for another order.

Additional information on PNC and the use of the pheromone traps can be found in our Extension publication E-173. You can access this publication through the Texas A&M Entomology website at http://insects.tamu.edu

I currently have a pecan nut casebearer monitoring project for 9 southern Texas counties which is being supported by a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture. This project uses volunteer pecan growers to monitor PNC pheromone traps and report trap catches and PNC activity (egg lay, nut entry) to their respective county Extension agent.

The county agent will then used this information in their mass media programs to inform county pecan growers of PNC activity with in the county. Counties involved in the project are: Brazoria, Galveston, Fort Bend, Colorado, Fayette, Wharton, Lavaca, DeWitt and Victoria.

We are working on getting all of the information from the volunteer producers posted on web sites. Fort Bend county will be posting on http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/FortBendPecan. As other sites are established I will pass on the information.

NEW INSECTICIDES / MITICIDE
Intrepid 2F - Intrepid is a second generation Confirm and will be replacing Confirm. Intrepid 2F is a Dow AgoScience product. Intrepid will be used at 4 to 8 ounces per acre where Confirm’s rate was 8 to 16 ounces per acre. Intrepid is labeled for pecan nut casebearer, hickory shuckworm, walnut caterpillar and fall webworm. Intrepid 2F is cleared for grazing.

Acraumite 50WS - Acramite 50WS is a miticide which is labeled on pecans for pecan leaf scorch mite. Acramite is a Crompton/ Uniroyal product. A few restrictions for Acramite include a limit of one application per season, a 14-day preharvest application time (PHI) and a 12 hour restricted enty (REI).

Fury/Mustang Max - These insecticides are not new but I did want to call attention to the fact that Mustang Max which has the same active ingredient as Fury contains only half the amount of active ingredient.

Warrior - Warrior is a Syngenta product and is labeled on pecans for hickory shuckworm, pecan nut casebearer, aphids, spittlebugs, stink bugs and phylloxera. Warrior may be applied with either air or ground application equipment. Warrior is applied at the rate of 2.56-5.12 ounces per acre and has a 14 day preharest interval.

As with all pesticides always read the label before purchasing, mixing and applying.

MEETINGS:
State/Regional Meetings
May 6, 2004
Georgia Pecan Growers Annual Conference
Perry, GA
Contact: Jane Crocker, 229-372-5416

June 11-13, 2004
Oklahoma Pecan Growers Annual Conference
Idabel, OK
Contact: OPGAShelton @aol.com

June 16-18, 2004
Louisiana Pecan Growers Annual Conference
Baton Rouge, LA
Contact: Frances Knox 318-747-3003 or
francesknox@bell-south.net

July 11-14, 2004
83rd Annual Texas Pecan Growers Conference and trade Show
San Antonio, TX
Contact: TPGA - 979-846-3285

Texas County Meetings:
April 20, 2004
Guadalupe County field Day
Contact: Travis Franke - 830-379-1972

May 1, 2004
Bell County Field Day
Contact Dirk Aaron - 254-933-5305

May 3, 2004
San Saba County Field Day
Contact: Neal Alexander - 325-372-5416

May 8, 2004
Washington County Field Day
Contact: Larry Pierce 979-277-6212

May 10, 2004
Williamson county Field Day
Contact: Dale Mott - 512-943-3300

May 13, 2004
Gaines County Pecan Field Day
Contact - 432-758-4006

May 20, 2004
Wichita County Pecan Field Day
Contact: Steve Chaney - 940-716-5580