Kern County

Evaluations of Varietal Susceptibility to Leaffooted Bug Damage and Studies on Leaffooted Bug Mortality in Almonds

COLLABORATORS: Mario Viverios UCCE Kern Co.; Tom Gradziel, UC Davis; Brad Higbee, Trécé; Kris Tollerup, UC Statewide IPM Program

An adult leaf-footed bug
An adult leaf-footed bug

Leaffooted bug is a native, seed-feeding insect that is best known for the damage it causes to pistachios. However, in 2006, extreme numbers of leaffooted bug also caused significant damage to almonds throughout the lower San Joaquin Valley.
Leaf-footed bug eggs
Leaf-footed bug eggs
Various instars of the leaf-footed bug
Various instars of the leaf-footed bug
 For almond producers, much of 2006 was spent just trying to figure out what happened and why it happened.Some growers lost more than half of the crop on some of their more susceptible varieties of nuts.

The main objective of this project was to document what happened in the hope that information could be developed to help prevent it from happening again, and/or to improve the ability of growers to deal with it if it does happen again.

We documented large differences in varietal susceptibility to leaffooted bug damage.  Data has allowed us to identify the types of damage caused by this pest, and the relative susceptibility of 15 commonly planted varieties to this damage.

Leaffooted Bug Damage

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Gumosis on hull from leaffooted bug feeding
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Nuts damaged mid-seaon by leaffooted bug feeding
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Leaffooted bug damage to almonds early season to mid season (top to bottom)

Websites

Leaffooted Bug Documents