Popular search terms

High priority exotic pests

The following are some of the high priority exotic pests of cherries, as identified in the development of the Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Cherry Industry. Additional information is included in the fact sheets.

Any of these pests would have serious consequences should they enter and become established in Australia. Implementing biosecurity measures to control endemic pests will go a long way towards preventing exotic pests from entering and becoming established on your farm.

For a complete list of exotic pest threats for cherries, contact Cherry Growers of Australia for a copy of the industry biosecurity plan.

Brown marmorated stink bug

  • As an adult, Halyomorpha halys is a 12-17 mm long mottled brown coloured stink bug, shaped like a shield
  • Very wide host range and affects many plants, including tree nuts such as hazelnut, pecan and potentially walnuts
  • Originally from eastern Asia, but recently introduced to North America and Europe where it is having a significant impact on agriculture and as a nuisance pest
  • Saliva causes significant damage to plant tissues
  • Eggs are cream to yellow-orange and approximately 1.6 mm long and laid in clusters on the underside of leaves
  • Five nymph stages that range from less than 3 mm to 12 mm long. The nymphs are orange and black when they first hatch but quickly develop a similar colouration to the adults
  • The adults and larvae can be confused with a number of other brown coloured stinkbugs that are present in Australia
  • Hitchhikes in container shipments of a range of commodities, including plant material. Adults are capable of flight allowing localised spread of the pest

Fact sheet

Bactrocera papayae, B dorsalis and B carambolae. Photo by Scott Bauer

Oriental fruit fly

  • Found in Asia, Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and South America
  • Adults 6-8 mm long with a narrow brown band along edge of wings
  • Abdomen has a black T-shaped mark, which is similar to a number of other endemic species
  • Larval feeding can result in rotting of fruit and may cause fruit to drop
  • Long range dispersal through movement of larvae-infested fruit

Fact sheets

Photo by John Davis

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)

  • Attacks a range of soft skinned fruit species
  • Egg deposition and larval feeding can occur in maturing, firm fruit
  • Small (2-3 mm in length) flies with yellow-brown colouring, dark bands on the abdomens and red eyes
  • Males have a dark spot on the tip of their forewings
  • Larvae feed internally on fruit, are cream coloured and about 3 mm long
  • Secondary infections can occur at egg laying sites, leading to fruit rot
  • Flies spread throughout crops by flight or longer distances with infested plant material.

Fact sheet

Homalodisca vitripennis. Photo by Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org

Glassy winged sharpshooter

  • Wide host range of over 200 species
  • Adults (12-14 mm long) are dark brown with stippled spots on head and back, and transparent wings with reddish veins
  • Produces watery excrement, appearing as white spots, which often collects during feeding
  • Eggs laid in side-by-side rows on underside of leaves
  • Known vector of Xylella fastidiosa pathogen (Pierce’s disease), which causes leaf scorch symptoms
  • Can spread by flight or as a hitchhiker on plant material

Fact sheet

Brown rot

  • Infects a range of fruit trees and berries
  • Produces similar symptoms to Brown rot in stone fruit
  • Fruit develop rapidly spreading, firm, brown spots that progress to/into rotting
  • Rotting areas covered or surrounded by creamy-white pustules, often in concentric circles
  • Infected fruit can become mummified on the tree
  • Blighted twigs with cankers can also develop
  • Spread by wind, rain and with infected plant material

Fact sheet

Symptoms on cherry leaves. Photo by Donato Boscia, CNR - Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, UOS, Bari (IT), gd.eppo.int/taxon/XYLEFA/photos

Pierce’s disease (cherry leaf scorch)

  • Caused by a bacterium (Xylella fastidiosa) that lives in the water conducting system (xylem) of plants
  • Plants show symptoms of water stress, such as leaf scorch, and the plant progressively weakens and dies
  • Can be transmitted in infected propagation material and by leafhoppers such as the exotic glassy-winged sharpshooter
  • Present in North America, Central America and some regions of South America
  • The diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa go by a range of names depending on the host species, including: Pierce’s disease, almond leaf scorch, bacterial leaf scorch, citrus variagated chlorosis, olive quick decline and olive leaf scorch.

Fact sheet

Canker on branch. Photo by Andre Abrahami, Wiki Commons

European canker

  • Economically damaging fungus worldwide that causes up to 60% yield loss
  • Reddish brown lesions develop on small branches, usually around leaf scar, spur or pruning wounds
  • Lesions develop into cankers that cause dieback of affected branches
  • Cankers can girdle trunks of young trees causing tree death
  • Rot may develop in trees or on fruit
  • Long distance dispersal likely through movement of infected (though often symptomless) fruit

Fact sheet

Planotortrix spp. Photo by Cheryl Moorehead, Bugwood.org

Exotic leaf rollers

  • Includes green headed-, brown headed- and oblique-banded- leaf rollers
  • GHLR moths are 7-14 mm in length and females have dark brown zig-zag markings and a dark spot on the forewings
  • BHLR moths are 8-12 mm long with brown wings with a dark oblique mark halfway down the edge of each forewing
  • OBLR moths are 16-30 mm long and have reddish-brown wings with strong diagonal bands and a semicircular spot at the wing edge
  • Leaf rolling is the obvious symptom though fruit scarring or larval holes in cherries may also be seen
  • OBLR are found in North America whilst GHLR and BHLR are only found in New Zealand

Fact sheet

Plum pox virus. Potyvirus. Biologische Bundesanstalt fur Land-und Forstwirtschaft Archive, Bugwood.org

Plum pox virus (sharka)

  • Also known as sharka, the virus affects numerous Prunus sp.
  • Symptoms are highly variable but may appear on trunks, leaves or fruit
  • Leaves may show yellow spots, bands or rings and vein clearing
  • Fruit or stones can have a mottled or spotted appearance
  • Trunks can split and fruit may drop prematurely
  • Spread locally by aphid vectors, but long distance dispersal occurs through movement of infected propagation material.

Fact sheet

Look for anything unusual in your orchard and storage facilities. If a pest is found that is not normally present on your property, it may be new not only to your property, but to the region, state or even Australia.

Related News
Useful Links