Olive Pests And Diseases Biocontrols for Healthier Orchards

The challenges in modern-day growers of olives include a complicated combined set of olive pests and diseases that may rapidly destroy the yield, quality of fruits, and health of the trees unless taken into consideration beforehand. Chewing caterpillars such as the olive moth, rustic sphinx hornworms, olive shootworm and olive bark beetle, sap sucking insects such as the olive lace bug, scales, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites and psyllids are all pests attacking various parts of the canopy or trunk and regularly expose them to serious fungal and bacterial attacks. Simultaneously, the main disease causers, such as peacock spot, cercospora leaf spot, anthracnose, cankers, root rots, Verticillium wilt and bacterial canker, require specific obligations of the olive tree disease treatment that will not leave residues and will not interfere with the useful soil life. The act of modern olive pest control has consequently been based on integrated programs that are founded on the use of biological products such as BT Thuricide, Beveria WP, Myco Pestop, Met Zone, Fumokar, FloraEgis, HarzShield, Cropium, Bactonus (best fungicide for olive trees), and soil/foliar biostimulants, coupled with cultural practices such as sanitation, irrigation management and crop monitoring to ensure that orchards are productive and resistant in the long run. In the blog, we will talk about olive pest and disease management​. 

 

Olive Pests

olive Moth	Olive Hornworm	Olive Shootworm	Olive Lace Bug	Olive Scale	Aphids on Olive
Mealybugs	Spider Mites	Olive Bark Beetle	Olive Psyllid	Stink Bugs	Olive Weevil

 

Olive Diseases

Peacock Spot	Cercospora Leaf Spot	Olive Leaf Sport Complexes	Powdery Mildew	Anthracnose	Diplodia Canker
Crown Rot	Botryosphaeria Canker	Rhizoctonia Root Rot	Verticillium Wilt	Bacterial Canker	Twig Dieback

 

Olive Nutrition

Sustainable Nitrogen Fixation

Potassium and Silicon Absorbtion

Inorganic Phosphorus Uptake

Soil Health for Olive

 

 

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Common Olive Pest Control

Target Pests: Olive moth / Olive kernel borer, Rustic sphinx / hornworm caterpillars on olive, Olive shootworm

Recommended Product: BT Thuricide 

Active ingredient: Bacillus thuringiensis (BT)

Three of the most serious lepidopteran pests, such as olive moth, rustic sphinx caterpillars and olive shootworm have always been a threat and proven to be economically hazardous in terms of fruit contamination, internal larval tunneling, and damage to the shoot structure. Larvae of olives drilled holes in flowers and fruits making them unproductive in high-quality fresh markets and affecting the quality of oil by contamination and fermentation. The olive kernel borers also damage the pits of the fruits, rustic sphinx caterpillar is known to cause severe defoliation making trees vulnerable, and also the presence of olive shootworm which causes apical growth by boring through the newly sprouted shoots, destroys flowering potential and long-term productive development of the orchard.

BT Thuricide, pesticide for olive trees, is a selective biological control that is based on Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki (Btk), which becomes selective only against these lepidopteran pests and also includes the beneficial insects. When ingested by target insect larvae, the bacterium produces crystal proteins that affinities with midgut receptors inhibiting the gut and leading to death 1-5 days after ingestion. This mechanism is only effective on the caterpillars and the moths yet not on the parasitic wasp, predatory beetles and pollinators and is therefore perfect in integrated orchard management.

Use BT Thuricide at 0.75-1.5 kilograms per hectare in the early morning time or evening time where the larvae are actively feeding on the plant tissues. Identifying first egg-laying by monitoring the stages of early fruit development, such that treatments coincide with first and second instar larval life stage when the larvae is the most sensitive to the given toxin. Repeat every 7-10 days with enough water volume of (400-600 litre per hectare) to ensure that all parts of the canopy are covered and the feeding site is reached. The 4 hour reentry period and zero pre-harvest period is made possible by being able to apply to the fruit right before harvest. BT Thuricide has a 24-month shelf life of cool storage and organic certification eligibility, which is why it is necessary in sustainable olive production that continues to provide ecological balance and adequate control of pests of 70-90% efficacy.

 

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Target Pests: Olive lace bug, Olive scale, Aphids on olive, Mealybugs on olive, Spider mites

Recommended Product: Beaveria WP

Active ingredient: Beauveria bassiana

Olive orchards are extremely sensitive to sap-sucking insects including olive lace bug, olive scale, aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites which suck the sap out of the plant, hence resulting in stippling of the leaf, yellowing, falling and eventually lowering the vibrancy and production level of the tree. The pests will also produce honeydew, which encourages the growth of sooty mold, whereas the photosynthetic activity and the quality of fruit and oil will be even lower. Beveria WP, best insecticide for olive trees​, is proven to be an efficient biological remedy to a multi-pests infestation of olives to growers who do not want to leave a residue in the fields and on the soil but want to passionately and sustainably provide treatment. Bevera WP is formulated based on entomopathogenic fungus; Beauveria bassiana, a fungi that is utilized to target and eliminate pests, and is designed to be used when the cuticle of the pest is exposed to the fungal spores after which they germinate and access the body through the use of enzymes, after which they multiply and proliferate inside the insect or mite which causes death within a few days. Dead pests tend to develop fungus, which emits new spores that contaminate other people around and spread farther in controlling canopy. Beveria WP is used as foliar spray or soil drench at recommended dosages (usually 1.0 -1.2 g/L as foliar and 2 -3 g/L as soil), used at 7 10 days intervals where they meet the optimum humidity of 60% and above. Being an environmentally friendly, natural, and wettable powder with no residual chemicals, it is an ideal fit in an organic and integrated pest management program in production of olives.

 

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Target Pests: Olive bark beetle / olive tree borer, Stink bugs

Recommended Product: Myco Pestop

Active Ingredient: Metarhizium anisopliae

The infestations of olive bacteria include olive bark beetles (also known as olive tree borers) and stink bugs which invoke severe structural and productivity damages on living olive trees by drilling holes to inject toxins, leading to dieback, and reducing the overall vigor of the tree and stink bugs, which drills holes and injects toxins into the quality of the olives, reducing their quality. They provide pests that open the door to pathogens and cause faster growth of trees and require specific control so that the trees can maintain productivity over the long term without chemical history. Metarhizium anisopliae, is an entomopathogenic fungus that has been used to produce myco pestop which provides excellent biological control over these insects of challenge. When the pests come in contact with fungal spores, the spores stick to the exoskeleton of these pests and germinate when the humidity is high enough to generate more enzymes that erode the cuticle to allow fungal hyphae to enter the tissues and keep multiplying, subsequently releasing toxins that damage respiration, locomotion, and food consumption, thereby killing the pests within 3-7 days. Cascading infection occurs throughout the canopy and the bark where newly infected populations spread secondary spores as part of infecting the surrounding peoples. Use Myco Pestop as either a foliar spray or trunk drench 1-2 g/L of water, higher rates may be used when necessary (i.e. when infestations are heavy) but increased frequency of application is required during high humidity (i.e. over 60% RH) in the early morning or evening which also produces the best spore mortality. The environmentally conscious wettable powder is an easily incorporated wet powder into organic olive IPM programs that are safe in habitat conservation of beneficial insects, pollinators and soil health as well as offer residue-free protection with minimal resistance risk.

 

 

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Target Pests: Olive weevil (Otiorhynchus spp.)

Recommended Product: Met Zone

Active Ingredient: Metarhizium anisopliae

Olive orchards are under the severe attack of olive weevils (Otiorhynchus spp.), the infamous pests that eat soil roots and organic materials causing far-reaching tree deterioration, stunted growth and great yield reduction, and adult feeding on bark and leaves leaving untidy notches at the end, which undermine the structural integrity. These invasive insects are residents of wet soil, and they have resistance to traditional pesticides thus require biological control as a solution to the sustainable prevention without leaving chemical ones or disturbing the soil, which harbors important soil life.

Being an insecticide with Metarhizium anisopliae spores in form of grains (2x108 cfu/g) Met Zone in its form provides directed suppression to the lives of the weevil grub or adult at all its stages. Upon contact with hosts, conidial spores infect them with sensory pores, which germinate to form germ tubes that swell, penetrate the internal tissues and release secondary metabolites that defeat the defenses and feed on the vital organs. The fungus looks fuzzy on cadavers and sporulates to infect adjacent pests and cause long-term protection that remains on the soil particles and debris.

Apply Met Zone pesticide for olive trees at the rate of 60-90 kg/hectare to wet soil before planting or directly onto the growing material and then keep the humidity level at more than 60 percent and do not use high temperatures or fungicides, as well as, combinations of fungicides. Limited to 9 months of oliver pest control, single applications increase plant health, yield potential and compliance with organic bids and are safe to humans, mammals, predators and natural parasites.

 

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Target pests: Olive psyllid

Recommend Product: Fumokar 

Active Ingredient: Isaria fumosorosea

Olive orchards are affected by incessant issues with olive psyllids, sap-sucking pests that benchmark on young shoots, leaves, and buds and result in severe leaf curling, slowed growth, premature fall, and honeydew output which contributes to the compartment of sooty mold ultimately deteriorates photosynthesis, tree vitality and quality of olive harvest. These insects are extremely mobile and transmit plant viruses as well as they can avoid contact sprays and environmental biological solutions are required to provide an alternative management to manage them in an organic system without residue.

Fumokar is an insecticide formulated using the entomopathogenic fungus, Isaria fumosorosea which exhibits very high levels of activity when it comes to targeted control of olive psyllids both in nymphal and adult stages. When contacted by the psyllid spores land on the waxy cuticle, they germinate in the presence of humid environment generating enzymes that break down the exoskeleton allowing the subsequent penetration of hyphae into the hemocoel where they multiply rapidly, release toxins that interfere with respiration and feeding leading to death in the range of 3-7 days. Infected cadavers acquire typical white fungal growth, which sporulates to discharge secondary conidia that spread through the population surrounding to cascade suppressions through the canopy.

Fumokar, olive tree pesticide, when used in foliar application should be sprayed at recommended rates at early morning or evening hours when the humidity is greater than 60 to maintain long term control (usually 1-2g/L of water). The powder is a biodegradable wettable powder it fits perfectly with IPM programs, and it is harmless to preserve useful insects, pollinators, and soil ecosystems with full efficacy on a broad spectrum and not developing resistance or having any harvest limitation.

 

 

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Olive Leaf Diseases​

Target Diseases: Peacock spot (Cycloconium / Spilocaea oleaginea), Cercospora leaf spot, Olive leaf spot complexes, Powdery mildew on olive

Recommended Product: FloraEgis 

Active Ingredient: Trichoderma harzianum   

Fungal infections such as peacock spot ( Spilocaea oleaginea ), cercospora leaf spot, olive leaf spot disease complexes, and powdery mildew heavily afflict olive orchards with typical signs of eye-spots, necrotic spots, chlorosis, and white powdery growth on leaves, causing them to lose photosynthetic ability, making them less vigorous (decreasing their overall productivity), and preventing them to drop leaves prematurely giving rise to poor fruit quality. They are active in the humid and moderate-temperature zones and reproduce through splash, humid wind, and rain, which creates access to second-stage infections requiring active biological control to preserve organic status and prevent the retention of the chemical fungicides solutions.

FloraEgis,olive tree fungicide, which is powered with the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma harzianum provides a highly effective biocontrol solution with a combination of several different modes of action such as mycoparasitism where Trichoderma hyphae directly attacks and coils around mycelia of disease causative organisms, enzymatic degradation of fungal cell walls by use of chitinases and glucanases, nutrient competition where disease causing organisms are deprived of necessary resources, and inducement of plant defense responses which functions as systemic resistance. The action is multifactorial, inhibiting the germination of peacock spot conidia, cercospora and lesion expansion with leaf spots, and the competition of powdery mildew to access the leaf surface, which offers the combination of protection of all facial types of olive foliage.

A foliar spray of FloraEgis 1-2 kg in 500- 1000L water should be used in the initial identification of the disease or prophylactically in times of threat (spring/autumn) and re-treated after 1014 days in a humid environment to achieve maximum colonization. It is an environmentally friendly wettable powder that becomes part of organic IPM solutions, harmlessly maintaining useful microbes, pollinators, and soil well-being and providing residue-free control with no limitations on pre-harvest to allow for optimized usage and extended efficacy by long-lasting environmental persistence.

 

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Olive Tree Disease Treatment

Target Diseases:  Anthracnose of olive (Colletotrichum spp.), Diplodia canker, Root rot / crown rot, Botryosphaeria canker and dieback, Rhizoctonia root rot in young trees

Recommend Product:  HarzShield

Active Ingredient: Trichoderma harzianum

Soil-borne and canker diseases such as Anthracnose ( Colletotrichum spp.) causing fruit rot and dark spots, Diplodia canker causing branch dieback, root/crown rot, compromising vascular systems, Botryosphaeria canker causing shoot blight, and Rhizoctonia root root girdling necrosis destroy the structure of the Olive orchards and reduce their yield. With wet conditions, these pathogens enter into the body via wounds or their roots, forming toxins that prevent the flow of the nutrients, causing tree degeneration and providing avenues of secondary infections, and hence they require biological root protection to manage the root on a sustainable basis, free of residue in organic set up.

Developed as HarzShield, a olive tree fungicide based on the antagonistic fungi Trichoderma harzianum, has strong biocontrol capabilities through aggressive mycoparasitism whereby Trichoderma hyphae infect structures of the pathogens, breaking them down through enzymatic lysis, chitinases and beta-glucanases, and through rapid colonization, effectively competing with pathogens in the root space and occupying nutrients, and through the induction of plant ISR (induced systemic resistant) in plant defence This multi-mode activity prevents the germination of anthracnose spores, prevents the growth of the canker, and serves to stop the establishment of the root rot to abide the cycles of infections both on young transplants and on mature trees.

HarzShield Apply as root drench (2-5 kg/ha in transplant water), apply at root (at planting time at 700-1000 ools/ha soil) or by drip irrigation (800 mg/kg at 4-6 intervals wet) in wet periods of considerable danger to date, apply trunk paints or basal sprays to date cancers; apply to cankers. The environmentally friendly product is a part of organic IPM that is safe to coexist with beneficial microbes, does not form residues, does not produce PHI, and offers long-term soil stipulation, increased tree strongness to produce olive in a resilient manner.

 

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Target Diseases: Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae)

Recommended Product: Cropium

Active Ingredient:  Penicillium Bilaiae

The Verticillium wilt ( Verticillium dahliae ) causes devastating losses in olive orchards, which is a soil-grown vascular wilt pathogen infecting the xylem vessels and bringing about yellowing, wilting, and scorching of the leaf bases upward leading to the death of the trees as there is no cure once infected. This chronic fungus continues in soil over the years with the help of the microsclerotia, infects with the help of the roots during wet seasons, forms toxicers that inhibit water movement, and forms entrance holes to other pathogens, which is debilitating to the productivity of olives severely in the new plants or the stressed old trees.

Cropium is the product of interaction of the useful fungus Penicillium bilaiae, and is a proactive biocontrol providing benefits via aggressive colonization of the root, competitive infection and nutrient solubilization by the fungus providing beneficial interventions to the plant, antifungal metabolite generation that inhibits germination and growth of pathogenic spores, and induction of systemic resistance to enhance the production of immune responses in the olive to prevent vascular invasion. This complex process inhibits the formation of wilts, enhancesRoot nutrient absorption, as well as roots that are resistant to infection.

The amount of Cropium used can be applied as a root dip (10-20 g/kg seed/seedlings) or applied as a soil drench (2-5 kg/ha in transplant water) at planting with normal drip applications of 4-6 times after that during the first growing season, together with compost mulching to maintain the optimal soil microbial balance. It is a non-toxic organic formula that is compatible with environmentally-friendly IPM strategies in that it safely supplements positive microbiomes and offers non-residual protective functions, better tree planting, and extended control of Verticillium with no post-harvest limitations.

 

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Target Disease: Bacterial canker and twig dieback (various bacteria)

Recommend Product: Bactonus

Active Ingredient: Bacillus safensis, Bacillus velezensis, and Pseudomonas chlororaphis

Bacterial canker and twig dieback of olive orchards cause severe structural damage, decrease in yield, oozing cankers, necrotic lesions and wilting shoots that result in dieback of the branches, low photosynthesis and weakening trees. These systemic infections are spread by rain sprays and implements, which cause toxins that disturb the vascular tissues, foster the further infections by fungi, and continue to be present in the waste of soil, requiring active biological bactericides to sustainably act without copper-based corrosion or metal-related resistance.

Bactonus, which is designed utilizing the synergistic combination of Bacillus safensis, Bacillus velezensis, and Pseudomonas chlororaphis, offers a highly useful biocontrol by a variety of mechanisms such as the generation of antimicrobial peptide and lipopeptides that lyse bacterial cells directly, iron and nutrient competition starving the pathogen, enzyme degradation of bacterial biofilms and exopolysaccharides and production of a plant systemic acquired resistance which causes the expression of olive defense genes This all-inclusive measure retards the growth of canker, inhibits degeneration of twigs and facilitates in wound recovery, safeguarding the young and old trees.

Use Bactonus as either foliar spray (1-2 L/ha) or trunk paint on fresh pruning in the inflammation period, firstly, following cutting directly with dry periods and use on therefore after every 10-14 days and secondly, can be used together with the practice of sanitation, respectively. It is an organic IPM program, this environmentally friendly liquid formulation works in harmony with other beneficial microbes providing residue-free control, zero PHI and increased tree tolerance to bacterial diseases.

 

 

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Olive Biostimulant Treatment

Purpose:  Enhance Olive Growth with Sustainable Nitrogen Fixation

Recommend Product: Metilo

Active Ingredient: Methylobacterium

Using Methylobacterium which is natural atmospheric nitrogen-fixing bacteria Metilo supplies sure-footed biological nitrogen nutritional supplement to the olive trees without artificial reliance on fertilizer. In these applications as foliar or root treatment, the Metilo colonises the olive leaves and roots turning atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms that are easily absorbed by the olive roots. This biological obsession keeps the trees healthy, canopy growing, and the potential of flowering during the growing season in addition to skyrocketing the soil microbial habitats and minimal needs of chemical nitrogen fertilizers, thus it suits well in the sustainable development of environmentally-conscious olive producers in search of sustainable and economical cultivation.

 

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Purpose:  Promote Potassium and Silicon Absorption in Olive

Active Ingredient: Bacillus mucilaginosus

The Bacillus mucilinosus acts as a specific biofertilizer that acts in mobilizing soil potassium and silicon by releasing organic acids and enzymes that release these vital minerals in the rhizosphere of the olive roots. Potassium controls the level of water within the body, enzyme processes and tolerance to stress in olive tissues, whereas silicon reinforces the walls of cells, making them more resistant to diseases and their systems more strong. This biofertilizer is applied in the initial stages of tree growth up to the stage of its productive development, which provides the system with slow release nutrient supply, decreases the use of synthetic potassium fertilization materials, and enhances the overall growth and fruit quality of olives used in sustainable production.

 

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Purpose: Improve Phosphorus Uptake in Olive

Recommended Product: Cropium

Active Ingredient: Penicillium bilaiae

Cropium is a Penicillium bilaiae compound, which increases insoluble soil phosphorus by synthesizing organic acids to unlock the phosphate bound up reserves and make the phosphorus readily available to olive roots. Increased phosphorus levels increase roots growth, enhance nutrient utilization efficiency, enhance stress endurance, and ensure healthy tree planting, especially in the young olive orchards. Cropium, integrated into the overall fertilization efforts, lessens the reliance on synthetic phosphate fertilizers and enhances the health of the soil besides yielding superior quality of olives at sustainable production levels.

 

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Purpose: Strengthen Soil Health for Sustainable Olive Farming

Recommended Product:  Soil Vigor

Active Ingredient: Blended microbes (Bacillus and Trichoderma species)

This beneficial microorganism that includes an association of other beneficial microorganisms including Bacillus species, and Trichoderma spp. has been observed to enhance functions of the soil ecosystem by enhancing the rate of the decomposition of organic matter, improving the nutrient cycling and improve the availability of nutrients to the olive roots. This microbial community inhibits soilborne pathogens by competitive exclusion and production of antimicrobial metabolites, which helps in encouraging the healthy colonization of roots and system level disease resistance. Regular Soil Vigor treatments create strong soil microbiomes that enhance soil structure, soil retention, soil aeration, soil cycling as well as reduce the need of chemical fertilizers and pesticides- contributing to long-term olive productivity and sustainability.

 

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Olive Pest and Disease Management 

A sustainable production of olive pests and diseases would involve a combination of approaches towards pest and disease control using both cultural and biological approaches. Olives that have common pests such as olive moth, psyllids, weevils, fungi like powdery mildew, peacock spot and anthracnose require elaborate oliver pest control measures. The olive tree disease treatment involves good sanitation, application of appropriate timing of the irrigation, and specific applications of entomopathogenic fungi (*Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae), beneficial antagonists (*Trichoderma harzianum), and bacteria biocontrols (Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp) are incorporated into good management instead of depending solely on synthetic chemicals. This combined practice will help avoid the development of resistance to pesticides, sustain healthy and life-supporting organisms, retain ecological balance, and even grow healthier and more quality olives and maintain the sustainability of orchard and environmental management on the long-term.