“Aphid” and “Cochineal” Detection Studies Were Conducted in Apricot Orchards of Iğdır Province.
In recent years, there has been excessive use of unregistered insecticides in apricot orchards in our province due to a high population of aphids. There is no registered active substance for aphids in apricots in our country. Therefore, the Iğdır Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry has submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for the preparation of a temporary recommendation. For this purpose, a team was formed, including Agricultural Engineers Yılmaz KARABIÇAK and Fatih YILDIZ from the Erzincan Horticultural Research Institute, Agricultural Engineer Deniz DEMİRTAŞ and Agricultural Technician Muhsin ÖZCAN from the Iğdır Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, and Assoc. Prof. İsmail ALASERHAT, Director of the Farmer Training Application and Research Center and a faculty member from our University’s Faculty of Agriculture. The team conducted an inspection of apricot orchards on May 20-21, 2024. As a result of the field surveys, the aphid species and the infestation levels in the apricot fields were identified. Additionally, during the investigation, it was found that there was a heavy presence of Plum Lecanium, Sphaerolecanium prunastri, in the apricot orchards, and the natural parasitism rate of the pest was high. Furthermore, discussions were held with farmers in the field.
