How to prevent and control insects boring inside plum fruits?

Speaking of plums, I think everyone is familiar with them. I remember that when I was a child, there were several plum trees right at our doorstep, but back then our family did not need to manage the plum trees much, and they still bore plenty of fruit every year. But if you want to grow plums that are both tasty and good-looking, simply leaving them alone will definitely not work.

Prevention and control of insects boring inside plum fruits

This insect is a pest of the family Tortricidae, order Lepidoptera, and is the most serious pest damaging plum fruits, often with a damage rate of 80%-90%. Tear-drop-shaped gum oozes out at the insect hole, the damaged fruit cannot continue to develop, gradually turns purplish red and drops off. The insect tunnel inside the damaged fruit is filled with red frass, which the locals call "red bean paste filling".

Control methods: The key periods for controlling the plum fruit moth are the peak adult stage and peak egg-laying stage of each generation and the period when the first-generation mature larvae enter the soil. Use 0.8% solution of 90% trichlorfon, 1% solution of 50% malathion, 0.8% solution of 50% dichlorvos. Before the physiological fruit drop of the plum tree, apply 1% - 1.5% solution of 50% phoxim once to the soil under the canopy. At the end of flowering (95% of flowers fallen), when the small fruits are the size of wheat grains, spray the first treatment; dichlorvos, deltamethrin, fenvalerate, or lambda-cyhalothrin can all be used, spraying once every 7-10 d. From the perspective of integrated control, biological agents such as Beauveria bassiana can be used to treat the soil under the canopy. After autumn, all dropped fruits should be swept up to reduce the source of insects for the coming year.

Morphological characteristics of the plum tree  

Deciduous tree, 9-12 m tall, crown broad and rounded, bark grayish brown, uneven, old branches purplish brown or reddish brown, glabrous, young branches yellow-red, glabrous, winter buds ovoid, red-purple, with several imbricate scales, usually glabrous, rarely with extremely sparse hairs on the scale edges.  

1. Leaves  

Leaf blade oblong-obovate, oblong-elliptic, rarely oblong-ovate, 6-8 (-12) cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex acuminate, acute or shortly caudate, base cuneate, margin with rounded obtuse double serrations, often mixed with single serrations, teeth glandular when young, upper surface dark green, glossy, lateral veins 6-10 pairs, not reaching the leaf margin, forming a 45° angle with the midvein, both surfaces glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent along the midvein beneath or bearded in the vein axils, stipules membranous, linear, apex acuminate, margin glandular, caducous, petiole 1-2 cm long, usually glabrous, with 2 glands at the apex or none, sometimes with glands on the margin at the leaf base.  

2. Flowers  

Flowers usually 3 together, pedicel 1-2 cm, usually glabrous, flower diameter 1.5-2.2 cm, calyx tube campanulate, sepals oblong-ovate, about 5 mm long, apex acute or rounded-obtuse, margin sparsely toothed, nearly as long as the calyx tube, outer surfaces of calyx tube and sepals glabrous, inner surface sparsely pubescent at the base of the calyx tube, petals white, oblong-obovate, apex erose, base cuneate, with distinct purple veins, with a short claw, inserted on the margin of the calyx tube, 2-3 times longer than the calyx tube, stamens numerous, filaments of unequal length, arranged in 2 irregular whorls, shorter than the petals, pistil 1, stigma discoid, style slightly longer than the stamens.  

3. Fruit  

Drupe spherical, ovoid or nearly conical, 3.5-5 cm in diameter, up to 7 cm in cultivated varieties, yellow or red, sometimes green or purple, stalk cavity sunken, apex slightly pointed, base with a longitudinal groove, covered with waxy bloom, stone ovoid or oblong, wrinkled. Flowering period April, fruiting period July-August. 

Nutritional value and benefits of plums  

1. Plums taste sour and can promote the secretion of gastric acid and gastric digestive enzymes, and can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, thus improving appetite and promoting digestion, especially effective for those with insufficient gastric acid, post-meal fullness, and constipation.  

2. Amino acids such as serine, glycine, proline, and glutamine in fresh plum flesh have diuretic and swelling-reducing effects, and have adjunctive therapeutic effects on cirrhosis.  

3. Plums contain a variety of nutrients and have the benefits of nourishing the face, beautifying the skin, and smoothing the skin.  

4. The antioxidant content in plums is astonishingly high, making them worthy of being called a “super fruit” for anti-aging and disease prevention.

Growth habits of plums  

It has strong adaptability to climate; as long as the soil layer is relatively deep and has a certain fertility, it can be planted in any soil type. It has relatively high requirements for air and soil moisture, and is extremely intolerant of waterlogging; poor drainage in the orchard often causes root rot, poor growth, or susceptibility to various diseases. It is advisable to choose a site with loose soil, good soil aeration and drainage, deep soil layer, and a low groundwater level to establish the orchard.  

Leaf blade oblong-obovate, oblong-elliptic, rarely oblong-ovate, 6-8 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex acuminate, acute or shortly caudate, base cuneate, margin with rounded obtuse double serrations, often mixed with single serrations, teeth glandular when young, upper surface dark green, glossy, lateral veins 6-10 pairs, not reaching the leaf margin, forming a 45° angle with the midvein, both surfaces glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent along the midvein beneath or bearded in the vein axils; stipules membranous, linear, apex acuminate, margin glandular, caducous; petiole 1-2 cm long, usually glabrous, with 2 glands at the apex or none, sometimes with glands on the margin at the leaf base.  

Flowers usually 3 together; pedicel 1-2 cm, usually glabrous; flower diameter 1.5-2.2 cm; calyx tube campanulate; sepals oblong-ovate, about 5 mm long, apex acute or rounded-obtuse, margin sparsely toothed, nearly as long as the calyx tube, outer surfaces of calyx tube and sepals glabrous, inner surface sparsely pubescent at the base of the calyx tube; petals white, oblong-obovate, apex erose, base cuneate, with distinct purple veins, with a short claw, inserted on the margin of the calyx tube, 2-3 times longer than the calyx tube; stamens numerous, filaments of unequal length, arranged in 2 irregular whorls, shorter than the petals; pistil 1, stigma discoid, style slightly longer than the stamens. 

Before planting plum trees, you should first understand the growth habits and morphological characteristics of the plum tree, so that you can have a clear picture in mind, avoid many detours, and obtain greater profits in less time. If fruit-growing friends want to grow plums that are both good-looking and sell well, carefully tending every plum tree is indispensable.