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Pecan Phylloxera

Robert J. Souvestre

Question: My pecan has bumps on the stems where the pecan nuts should be. What’s going on? Am I going to make a pecan crop?

Answer: The bumps you are seeing on the leaves and stems are the result of an insect called pecan phylloxera. This is a gall-forming insect where the gall replaces the nut. No, you will not produce pecans when galls are present. The adult insect lays her eggs in dormant buds. When the buds begin to grow in April, the eggs hatch and the resulting insect feeding activity causes the development of pecan nuts to change to a gall that protects the developing insects. The only method to control this insect is to apply a foliar application of pesticide just as the dormant buds begin growth and leaves first appear. Pecan phylloxera is cyclic meaning it may be severe one year and not the next and that it may be worse on pecan trees that emerge earlier in the spring than others. Nothing can be done now to make a difference. Visit the LSU AgCenter Web site for a spray schedule for home pecan production.
5/17/2010 10:57:36 PM
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