Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

First report of an invasive pest, Sphenoptera lafertie T. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) on cherry plantation (Rosaceae), from the North-Western Himalayas, Kashmir

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11662
Submitted
7 September 2025
Published
20-04-2026

Abstract

Cherries are a typical temperate fruit crop that can be consumed fresh, dried, pickled, canned, or processed. They are a rich source of anthocyanins and antioxidants, improve cognitive functioning and thrive in regions that don't experience extreme heat or cold. Nevertheless, the soft bark and gum-exuding properties make it vulnerable to severe insect pest damage, resulting in significant economic losses to the horticulture industry. The incidence and mortality of plants were observed in the North-Western Himalayan region of India by creating galleries inside the trunks. To identify and assess pest damage, a morphological characterisation was carried out in 2021 and 2022 at the Fruit Experimental Farm, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Kashmir, India. During the investigation, it was confirmed that invasive pest is a trunk borer (Sphenoptera lafertie T.), a member of the family Buprestidae and order Coleoptera. A survey conducted across three orchards in North, Central and Southern Kashmir revealed the highest infestation levels on the cherry variety Bigarreau Noir Grossa (Mishri), with approximately 63 % of live holes recorded in North and South Kashmir. In Central Kashmir, the variety Guigne Pourpera Prece (Awal Number) exhibited a 67.8 % infestation at the SKUAST-K Farm.

References

  1. 1. Zohary D, Hopf M, Weiss E. Domestication of plants in the Old World: The origin and spread of domesticated plants in south-west Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2012.
  2. 2. Pinosio S, Marroni F, Zuccolo A, Vitulo N, Mariette S, Sonnante G, et al. A draft genome of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) reveals genome-wide and local effects of domestication. Plant J. 2020;103(4):1420–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14809
  3. 3. Iglesias I, Dallabetta N, Whiting M, Long LE, Iezzoni A. Development of innovative high-density orchards aiming for an efficient and sustainable sweet cherry production. Acta Hortic. 2024;1408:293–300.
  4. 4. Saigo T, Wang T, Watanabe M, Tohge T. Diversity of anthocyanins and proanthocyanin biosynthesis in land plants. Curr Opin Plant Biotechnol. 2020;55:93–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2020.04.001
  5. 5. Tanaka Y, Sasaki N, Ohmiya A. Biosynthesis of plant pigments: Anthocyanins, betalains and carotenoids. Plant J. 2008;54(4):733–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03447.x
  6. 6. Bali D, Sharma R. Economic analysis of cherry cultivation in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. Econ Aff. 2022;67(4):453–62.
  7. 7. Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Directorate of Horticulture, Agriculture Production Department, Srinagar/Jammu. Horticulture Statistics at a Glance; 2024. p. 32–37.
  8. 8. Nasouri H. Capnodis tenebrionis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), an important pest of stone fruits in the Mediterranean basin: Current management strategies and prospects for integrated pest management. J Integr Pest Manag. 2024:1(15):20–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmae015
  9. 9. Rebek EJ. Battling the enemy within: Woodborers. In: Pesticide Alert. Vol. 8, No. 11. Stillwater, OK: Oklahoma State University, Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology; May 7, 2009. p. 1–3.
  10. 10. Zahid M, Salman M, Khan SA, Alamzeb A, Khan I. Surveillance and control of peach flat-headed borer, Sphenoptera dadkhani (Oben.) in plum orchards of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Pak J Zool. 2015;31(1):1–7.
  11. 11. Pena JE, Hunsberger A, Schaffer B. Citrus leafminer (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) density: Effect on yield of ‘Tahiti’ lime. J Econ Entomol. 2000;93:374–79. https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493-93.2.374
  12. 12. Salman M, Zahid M, Alamzeb, Khan GZ, Haq MM, Khan I. Insecticidal efficacy in reducing gummosis attributed to peach flat-headed borer in plum trees. J Entomol Zool Stud. 2017;5(3):748–52.
  13. 13. Simonsen TJ, Kitching IJ. Virtual dissections through micro-CT scanning: A method for non-destructive genitalia ‘dissections’ of valuable Lepidoptera material. Syst Entomol. 2014;39(3):606–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12067
  14. 14. Wang PC, Liu XT, Lu XP, Wei ZH, Meng LK, Cai M, et al. Optimization the dietary nutrient composition for mass-rearing of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). J Econ Entomol. 2026;toag042. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toag042
  15. 15. Hanley RS, Ashe JS. Techniques for dissecting adult aleocharine beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Bull Entomol Res. 2003;93(1):11–18. https://doi.org/10.1079/BER2002210
  16. 16. Horak M. Cydia group. In: Horak M, Komai F, editors. Olethreutine moths of Australia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). CSIRO Publishing; 2006. p. 406–22.
  17. 17. Schmitz P, Rubinoff D. Three new species of Fancy Case caterpillars from threatened forests of Hawaii (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Hyposmocoma). Zookeys. 2011;163:1–22.
  18. 18. Kalashian MY, Karagyan GH. Two new species of Sphenoptera from South-West Asia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroinae). Acta Entomol Musei Natl Pragae. 2016;56(1):17–22.
  19. 19. Kahuthia R, Abonyo A, Sakalian V, Georgiev G. New and interesting records of jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from Kenya. Acta Zool Bulg. 2021;73(2):479–80.
  20. 20. Zahid M, Salman M, Farid A, Khan SA, Habib K. Degree-day forecasting method: A tool for increasing the precision of chemical control for managing peach flat-headed borer, Siphonaptera dadkhani (Oben.) Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Pak J Zool. 2015;47(6):1771–776.
  21. 21. Cottrell TE, Beckman TG, Horton DL. Lesser peachtree borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) oviposition on Prunus germplasm. Environ Entomol. 2011;40(6):1465–470. https://doi.org/10.1603/EN11056
  22. 22. Sharma DR, Kanwar JS, Singh H, Chanana YR. Control of flat headed borer, Sphenoptera dadkhani Obenberger in Punjab. Acta Hortic. 2004;662:423–26. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.662.64
  23. 23. Raqib A. Integrated management of borers in stone fruit orchards of Peshawar region (Final Report). Peshawar: Pak Swiss Project for Horticulture Promotion (PHP), Pakistan Science Foundation Project; 2011. p. 12,19.
  24. 24. Gupta VK, Sharma VK. Bionomics and management of peach flat-headed borer Sphenoptera lafertie Obenberger in Himachal Pradesh. J Entomol Res. 2018;42(3):215–21.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.