The citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, is an invasive pest of citrus whose larvae damage developing leaves, which can impact tree photosynthetic capacity and may ultimately reduce tree growth and yield. Damage is most pronounced in young trees due to their greater propensity for production of new foliage, which supports P. citrella oviposition and larval development. We studied P. citrella damage and tree growth and yield among different insecticide treatment regimes to gauge their effectiveness at protecting young citrus trees. Three levels of insecticide treatments were applied over 3 yr to ‘Tango’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) citrus trees planted in the prior summer, which were inspected regularly along with untreated trees. Leaves suitable for oviposition by P. citrella were available during all census dates, though their numbers fluctuated in the summer months. Phyllocnistis citrella were suppressed for 2–3 wk by systemic or foliar treatments of insecticides. The higher number of treatments provided more sustained suppression of larvae. Trunk diameter was unchanged and canopy volume affected by only the most aggressive treatment regime. However, citrus yield was 2–2.5 times higher following the second year of treatments and 1.2- to 1.8-fold times following the third year of treatments for trees in the treatment regimes that included systemic imidacloprid plus 2–3 or 4–5 foliar applications, respectively, relative to untreated controls. Suitable leaf flush and larval densities declined over the 3 yr of the study. These data support the use of insecticidal control of P. citrella to protect young ‘Tango’ mandarin trees, but demonstrated that frequent applications are necessary to suppress populations.

中文翻译：

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柑橘叶蝉（鳞翅目：江蓠科）杀虫剂处理对幼年柑桔生长和产量的影响

柑橘潜叶虫（Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton）是一种柑橘入侵性害虫，其幼虫会破坏发育中的叶片，从而影响树木的光合能力，最终可能会降低树木的生长和产量。幼树的损害最为明显，因为它们更倾向于产生新的叶子，从而支持 P. citrella 产卵和幼虫的发育。我们研究了不同杀虫剂处理方案对柑橘青霉的损害以及树木生长和产量，以评估它们在保护柑橘幼树方面的有效性。对前一个夏天种植的“探戈”柑橘（Citrus reticulata Blanco）柑橘树进行了 3 年以上的三级杀虫剂处理，并与未经处理的树木一起定期检查。在所有普查日期都可以找到适合 P. citrella 产卵的叶子，尽管他们的人数在夏季月份波动。Phyllocnistis citrella 被杀虫剂的全身或叶面处理抑制了 2-3 周。处理次数越多，对幼虫的抑制就越持久。树干直径不变，树冠体积仅受最激进的治疗方案影响。然而，在包括全身性吡虫啉加 2-3 或 4-5 次叶面施用的处理方案中，柑橘产量在处理的第二年增加 2-2.5 倍，在树木处理的第三年增加 1.2 至 1.8 倍，分别相对于未处理的对照。在研究的 3 年中，合适的叶片冲洗和幼虫密度下降。这些数据支持使用 P. citrella 的杀虫控制来保护年轻的“探戈”柑橘树，