MC Pretorius

Adobestock 304939150 [converted]
October / November 2025

Extension briefs October and November 2025

Research and Technology

Thrips management During October and November citrus fruit is highly susceptible to damage from citrus thrips. Therefore, orchards should be scouted at least once a week for this pest, being sure to look under the sepals. Citrus thrips larvae cause more serious damage than adult thrips. Therefore, low numbers of adults in the absence of larvae may not require immediate intervention. The intervention threshold for citrus thrips larvae on fruit is 2% for the first four weeks after petal fall, 3% for five to six weeks after petal fall, then 4% for seven to eight weeks after petal fall. These thresholds can be roughly doubled if the population comprises mostly adults.

Adobestock 304939150 [converted]
June / July 2025

Extension briefs June and July 2025

Extension briefs · Research and Technology

Orchard sanitation must continue diligently during the harvesting period. All fruit that remains on trees after harvest must be removed and destroyed two weeks after completion of harvesting, at most. This is because false codling moth (FCM) activity does not cease during winter, and any remaining fruit could serve to facilitate this activity.

Plus, this winter fruit creates a reservoir of inoculum of FCM for the following spring. Conversely, removal of all fruit after harvest could dramatically reduce FCM levels in the following season. Fruit fly numbers can also build up on unharvested fruit.

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