This is a series of articles on insect pests that afflict fruit growers in China, however, this one has been in Australia for more than 100 years but it is definitely an Oriental and most definitely a beast.
Apples and pears are native to the foothills of what the Chinese call the Tian Shan—the mountains of heaven. We know them better as the northern slopes of the Himalayas.
Forests of wild apples occur in far western China and Kazakhstan near the old Silk Road. This is where both apples and pears come from and also where codling moth started on its world–wide journey.
Pears
Pears have been cultivated for more than 3000 years in China and five species are grown commercially.
The ‘normal’ pear in China is something like a nashi but the other kinds are easy to find.
Although it originated in the same place as the other pear species, European pear is rare in China.
Apples
Apples have been grown in China for about as long as pears but until recent years did not have the same level of prominence or diversity as that achieved by pears.
Pest status of codling moth in China
More than 60% of the apple production in China is in five eastern provinces where codling moth does not yet occur.
A similar situation pertains to pears: Hebei near Beijing is the biggest pear growing province.
However, codling moth is a serious pest in the western provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu and the northern provinces of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin.
(continued next month)
See this article in Tree Fruit Jan 2018
