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 Light brown apple moth. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark. UC offers information about light brown apple mothWhen the light brown apple moth appeared in California in early 2007, the UC IPM Program produced a new brochure to answer the public's questions about this troublesome pest. Written by nine UC scientists and reviewed by experts from across the U.S. and from Australia and New Zealand, the publication was developed quickly to fill the immediate need for information by UC Cooperative Extension county staff and their clientele. Because the larvae eats more than 250 plant species, including grapes and other key crops, state and federal governments began an eradication campaign. The moth had never before been found in North America until it was identified in the San Francisco Bay area in February. The university publication answers questions about how to identify the moth, its biology, management alternatives and regulation, and possible impacts on California commodities and residential areas. The moth is native to Australia and has been found in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and Solano counties. USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the CDFA have interstate and intrastate quarantines in effect. Keeping the pest from spreading to other areas of the state is critical, and this will be accomplished by regular monitoring with traps, inspection, treatment of infested nursery stock or other commodities, and destruction of green waste. Regulators are using pheromones in some locations to disrupt moth mating. For more information, visit In the News.  Tomato yellow leaf curl virus symptoms. Photo by Robert Gilbertson. New VirusesUC IPM has produced two new brochures to help growers identify tomato yellow leaf curl virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder. In March 2007, the virus that causes tomato yellow leaf curl popped up in greenhouse tomatoes being grown by a high school science class in Imperial County. Because this disease is new to California and potentially devastating for tomato production, agencies have produced an informational brochure to help curtail its spread. A PDF file of the brochure can be downloaded from the UC IPM Web site, as well as a pest management guideline on tomato yellow leaf curl. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus is a member of a family of viruses that are spread by whiteflies or leafhoppers. The virus infects peppers, some tobacco species, and a range of weed species, but tomato is, by far, the most important host. With input from UC Davis plant pathologist Robert Gilbertson, the UC IPM Program developed a brochure to help growers and pest control advisors learn about the disease, how to identify it, and what to do if they suspect that their plants are infected. Color photos illustrate disease symptoms and the whiteflies that spread the virus. Anyone finding tomatoes with symptoms that look like tomato yellow leaf curl should contact their local UC Cooperative Extension office, UC Davis plant pathologist Gilbertson, (530) 752-3163, or CDFA scientist Tonyan Tian, (916) 262-1127. The California Tomato Research Institute, Inc., and California Tomato Growers Association, Inc., supported this project. In fall 2006, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder was found for the first time in California and Arizona. The virus that causes this disease was identified in melons and squash grown in Imperial County, Calif., and around Yuma, Ariz. Because this disease has the potential to devastate cucurbit crops, it is critical to limit its spread. The UC IPM Program has developed a brochure to inform growers about this disease, how to recognize it, what to do if they find diseased plants, and what management strategies can be used to prevent establishment and spread of the disease. Next article >> Pesticide drift in Kern County PDF: To display a PDF document, you may need to use a PDF reader. |