Dr. Phyto

pomegranate

Punica granatum

Diseases & pests on this plant

• carob moth (pomegranate fruit borer)Ectomyelois ceratoniae

  Small entry hole at the calyx end of the fruit, frass (sawdust-like droppings) visible there, soft-rotting interior with caterpillar present, premature fruit drop.

• pomegranate fruit heart rotAlternaria alternata pomegranate

  External fruit appears normal but feels light when shaken (audible rattle of dried aril), cut fruit shows blackened arils, mature fruit drop.

• brown soft scaleCoccus hesperidum

  Flat oval brown-tan scales (3-5mm) on undersides of leaves + along stems, sticky honeydew dripping onto floor or lower leaves, black sooty mould growing on the honeydew, leaf yellowing + drop in heavy infestations, ants attracted to honeydew.

• Mediterranean fruit flyCeratitis capitata

  Tiny brown puncture in fruit skin from female ovipositor, soft rotting patches around each puncture, white legless maggots (4–10mm) inside ripening fruit, premature fruit drop in late summer.

• pomegranate black heart rot (Aspergillus niger)Aspergillus niger pomegranate

  Soft brown decay of fruit interior visible only after cutting open, black powdery sporulation on the arils, fruit skin may look almost normal externally, sudden flesh collapse.

• peach fruit fly (Bactrocera zonata)Bactrocera zonataEU-notifiable quarantine organism

  Larger than Mediterranean fruit fly (8–10mm), distinctive orange-brown body with dark wing pattern, larvae bore deep into pomegranate, mango, peach, citrus; rapid fruit decay.