Control.—An effective control for cotton root rot disease has not been developed.
New orchards should not be planted in soil having a history of cotton root rot disease.
Pecan Insects and Their Control
PECAN NUT CASEBEARER
The pecan nut casebearer, Acrobasis caryae Grote, is the major pest of pecans in Texas. Early in the spring, the overwintered generation feeds first in the buds and then in the developing shoots, causing them to wilt and die. Succeeding generations feed on the nuts during the late spring and summer, [Figure 9]. Severe infestations may destroy the entire crop of pecans.
The adult is a light gray moth which is about one third inch in length. The wings are gray, and the forewings have a ridge of dark scales across them about one-third the distance from the base. The moths fly at night and spend the day in concealment.
The young larvae are white to pink, but later become olive gray to green and attain a length of about one-half inch.
This insect passes the winter as a partially grown larva in a tiny silken cocoon called a hibernaculum, which is usually attached to a bud, [Figure 10]. In the spring, the larvae feed for a short time on the buds, after which they tunnel in the developing shoots until they reach maturity, [Figure 11]. Pupation usually occurs in these burrows, and the moths emerge in late April and May.
Two or 3 days after the adults emerge, they deposit eggs on the tips of the nuts, [Figure 12]. Each female may deposit from 50 to 150 eggs. The eggs, which are just visible to the naked eye, are greenish white when they are deposited but assume a reddish appearance a few days later. The first-generation larvae hatch from the eggs in 4 or 5 days and migrate to the buds below the nuts to feed. After a day or two, they enter the nuts, usually at the base, and feed in them, each larva frequently destroying an entire cluster. Bits of frass and webbing may be observed projecting from the injured nuts. Upon reaching maturity, the larvae pupate in the nuts and emerge as adults in June and early July.
