Spain and Portugal on alert for the spread of a new pest in fruit trees

Fruit growers in Spain and Portugal are on alert for the spread of the quarantine pest Scirtothrips aurantii.

 

 

 

For the first time, Scirtothrips aurantii was registered in Spain in 2020 and since then it has been expanding geographically and in number of crops.

 

 

 

The latest bulletin prepared by the Junta de Andalucía reports on the infection of orange, mandarin, persimmon, avocado, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry trees in the municipalities of Bollullos de la Mitación, Gelves, Espartinas, Lora del Río and Sevilla, in the province Seville, and in Lepe, in the province of Huelva.

 

 

 

The technicians of the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-Asaja) verified an affection of more than 60% of the citrus fruits in the Huelva fields due to this pest.

 

 

 

In addition, Portugal confirmed the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii on mandarins, lemons, apple trees, wild blueberries and evergreen shrubs in one location in Alentejo and in 12 locations in the Algarve region.

 

 

 

The typical damage it causes to citrus is a grayish ring-shaped scar, normally near the peduncle, which separates from the calyx as the fruit grows, making it unusable for marketing in the markets.

 

 

 

The association also warns of another similar pest from South Africa, Scirtothrips dorsalis, known as Chili Thrips or yellow tea thrips. This was detected for the first time in 2016, in the province of Alicante.

 

 

 

The Ministry of Agriculture reported their presence in Callosa del Segura, Cox, Albatera, Granja de Rocamora and Orihuela.