Linghu, W.; Lu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Gao, G. The Effects of Globose Scale (Sphaerolecanium prunastri) Infestation on the Growth of Wild Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Trees. Forests2023, 14, 2032.
Linghu, W.; Lu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Gao, G. The Effects of Globose Scale (Sphaerolecanium prunastri) Infestation on the Growth of Wild Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Trees. Forests 2023, 14, 2032.
Linghu, W.; Lu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Gao, G. The Effects of Globose Scale (Sphaerolecanium prunastri) Infestation on the Growth of Wild Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Trees. Forests2023, 14, 2032.
Linghu, W.; Lu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Gao, G. The Effects of Globose Scale (Sphaerolecanium prunastri) Infestation on the Growth of Wild Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Trees. Forests 2023, 14, 2032.
Abstract
The globose scale (GS) (Sphaerolecanium prunastri Boyer de Fonscolombe) is a sucking insect that feeds on saps of wild apricot tree (Prunus armeniaca L.) in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwestern China. It feeds on branches of wild apricot leading to poor growth, leaf yellowing and leaf drop, and sometimes mortality. Since the initial infestation in 2018, all the main valleys of wild apricot trees have been affected, but there is little research on the host’s physiological response to GS infestation. We measured the differences in growth between infested and non-infested wild apricots. The results showed that the diameter of shoot branches, the fresh weight, dry weight, length, width, area, and chlorophyll content of leaves, and the longitudinal diameter of fruit, were all significantly less for infested wild apricot trees than for un-infested wild apricot. The branch length of shoots, cross diameter, and weight of fruit also decreased, although the differences were not significant. Overall, GS infestation significantly reduced the growth of wild apricot trees, and may accelerate the damage by GS to wild apricot over time.
Keywords
Sphaerolecanium prunastri (Boyer de Fonscolombe); Prunus armeniaca L.; branch and leaf growth; chlorophyll SPAD values; fruit characteristics
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Forestry
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
