Influence of soil and weed management practices on plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) larval development and adult emergence in Alabama peaches

Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of soil and weed management practices on plum curculio (PC), Conotrachelus nenuphar Herbst development and emergence. The following treatments were evaluated in plots (plot size: 3 m × 3 m) in peach orchard: soil covered with pine bark, soil covered with centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides), natural weedy soil, and bare soil (weeds removed with herbicide sprays). The results showed that adult PCs did not differ in their mean development time from larva to adult stage in the different treatments. However, significantly fewer adult PCs emerged from soil covered with centipede grass than from all other treatments.