Orchard floor weed cover does not influence infestation of peach trees by the peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa

The peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa, is an economically important wood boring pest of peach and other stone fruit trees throughout much of the United States. Infestation and damage by larvae of this species is generally confined to the trunk and roots near the soil line. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a commercial peach orchard to study the effect of orchard floor weed cover on incidence of peachtree borer infestation in peach blocks under two different pest management regimes; mating disruption and conventional insecticides. During the study, weed cover did not significantly affect the mean percentage of peach trees infested by peach tree borer, regardless of management regime. A weak to small, negative Pearson correlation coefficient existed between weed cover ratings and the percentage of infested trees. Our hypothesis that weed free (bare soil) areas around the trunks of peach trees would favor peachtree borer infestation was not supported by our data.