THIS IS THE AFRICAN PSILA PEST THAT HAS BEEN AFFECTING CROPS FOR A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS.

The Plenary Session of the Gran Canaria Cabildo today unanimously approved a motion urging the Government of the Canary Islands to declare the existence of the African Psila pest of citrus fruits on the island. (Trioza Erytreae), and that measures be applied to combat it.

The motion, presented by the PSOE and approved unanimously in the Plenary Commission of Economic Sectors, proposes the creation by the Cabildo of a biological and integrated study on the presence, extension, incidence and natural enemies of this pest on the island, which is the one with the highest citrus production in the Canary Islands.

In the same way, It is proposed to disseminate the effects and treatment of said pest through the page www.grancanaria.com and other digital media., as well as through the farmers' associations of Gran Canaria.

It has also been requested that the possibility of launching a La Granja Experimental Agrícola website be studied in which the pests that affect crops in Gran Canaria are detailed., as well as possible treatments to alleviate them.

According to the speakers, this plague entered the Canary Islands in 2002 and affected La Gomera and Tenerife; but three years ago it spread to Gran Canaria, where it has developed in the cold and humid areas of Arucas, Terror, Valleseco and Guayadeque, among others, expanding from the center to the northwest of the island.

The leaves of crops affected by African psylla have a completely twisted and yellowish appearance., which can cause a weakening of the tree and a decrease in the quality and quantity of its production.

Apart from these symptoms and damages, This pest is capable of transmitting a bacterial disease called “greening”, whose condition can end with the death of the tree, although these cases have not yet occurred in the Canary Islands.