Avocado is one of the most profitable crops due to how well its fruits are currently valued. However, as with many crops that have been exploited for some time, a whole series of insects and pests have appeared that have learned to take advantage of this tree.
If you want to learn what are the main avocado pests and diseases and how to prevent its appearance, keep reading us in this EcologíaVerde article where you will find a guide with practical information and photos.
avocado pests
Pests are usually insects that attack and damage the plant in various ways, although sometimes they can also be larger animals, such as small rodents. These are the most common avocado pests:
thrips
These small, soft-bodied, winged insects usually appear in the spring. They pierce the surface layer of the leaves and drink their juices from them, causing them to dry up due to the large number of attacks suffered. Due to their small size they can be difficult to identify, although the brown hue that the leaves take on when they shouldn’t be drying is an important clue. Sometimes they also attack the fruit, damaging its appearance and making it unsuitable for marketing.
Woodlouse
Mealybugs sometimes appear on avocado crops, resulting in a nuisance that sometimes requires action. Black or white scales from this type of insect occasionally occur on older avocado trees, but no serious cases of infection have been reported on young trees. The cottony mealybug appears rarely, but it is unlikely to cause serious infestations.
Red spider
It is one of the most common pests to find in areas with avocado crops. It is a small reddish arachnid that is positioned on the leaves of the plant, from which it sucks the juices and sap. Because of its attack, the leaves turn brown and can fall. Its size is very small, but when the infestation is serious it can produce very easy to identify cobwebs with which it passes from one plant to another or that it uses to move between branches.
seed weevil
To finish mentioning the main avocado pests, we focus on the seed weevil, which is harmful both as an adult and as a larva. These parasites are very dangerous and can affect up to 80% of a crop’s production, which is why producing countries take serious measures to protect themselves from infested seeds. The larva burrows into the fruit, making its way through the pulp, to then reach the stone, on which it feeds.
avocado diseases
Like pests, there are also various diseases and fungi that can affect our crops. These are the main avocado diseases:
anthracnose
It originates from the fungus Colletotrichum glosporoides. It is a disease that appears especially in young shoots, fruits, flowers and branches, causing black spots and wounds, depressed, which end up rotting. Appears in conditions of excess moisture.
Scab
Caused by the fungus Sphaceloma persea, which attacks the stems, leaves and fruits of the avocado tree. Leaves turn a sickly brown color, and slightly depressed, brown, slightly depressed circular areas of injury can be seen on the fruit. Although the damage is only superficial, the appearance of the fruit is damaged and it is no longer suitable for marketing.
avocado sadness
This is one of the avocado diseases that affects the roots of the plant, causing the high branches to dry out and the leaves to lose their green tone and photosynthesis capacity. The fruits become small and the tree may eventually die.
Stem girdling
When a fruit is affected, a ring-shaped lesion can be seen above the point of union of the fruit with the peduncle. It is a very serious problem, because it can cause the premature fall of a large number of fruits, causing great losses.
How to prevent avocado pests and diseases in an ecological way
Many of the avocado diseases are caused by fungi that appear when there is excess moisture or poor drainage in the soil, so it is especially important to keep the loose, well-drained soils and above all, don’t over water.
In the case of pests, thrips can be controlled by adding nicotine solutions to irrigation, or with solutions of sulfur and lime. As for mealybugs, they are easy to control with a whole series of ecological insecticides that can be made at home. Here you can consult How to make natural insecticides for plants.
In addition, we recommend you consult these other gardening guides that deal with certain pests and diseases of plants in particular, these being common in avocado trees.
- Eliminate the cottony mealybug: treatment and home remedies.
- Anthracnose: what is it and treatment
- How to remove weevils.
If you want to read more articles similar to Avocado pests and diseaseswe recommend that you enter our category .
