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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #379309
Research Project: New Tools for Managing Key Pests of Pecan and Peach

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: A Lesser Known Pest of Pecan: The Nut Curculio

Author
item Cottrell, Ted

Submitted to: Pecan South
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2020
Publication Date: 1/11/2020
Citation: Cottrell, T.E. 2020. A Lesser Known Pest of Pecan: The Nut Curculio. Pecan South. 53: 20-25.

Interpretive Summary: The nut curculio attacks the nuts of hickory and pecan but is most often a minor pest of pecan nuts. Infested pecan nuts are aborted by the pecan tree and can sometimes be mistaken for nuts damaged by the hickory shuckworm. Sampling for the presence of adult nut curculio in orchards allows timely application of control measures to manage the adult thus preventing damage to pecan nuts.

Technical Abstract: The nut curculio, Conotrachelus hicoriae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), attacks the nuts of Carya spp. including the most economically important native nut crop grown in North America, pecan. Nut curculio is generally a minor pest of pecan nuts where it occurs but in some areas, it can be an annual pest requiring management. Detection of nut curculio in orchards is usually by examination of aborted nuts on the orchard floor. These infested nuts can sometimes be mistaken for nuts damaged by the hickory shuckworm if one is unaware of nut curculio. Sampling for the presence of adult nut curculio in orchards allows timely application of control measures to manage the adult thus preventing nut damage.