Infestation rate of San Jose scale, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) in the fruit orchards of Baramulla, Kashmir, India

San Jose scale is an important pest in almost all the apple growing states of India particularly in north and north western states, including Kashmir. It is a tiny insect which sucks the plant juice from twigs, branches, fruits and foliage. Studies on San Jose scale infestation pattern from five test sites selected at reasonably different altitude from one another with slightly different topography and weather parameters were made during 2015. Results indicated that that there is a distinct variability in the rate of infestation of the pest in different months of the year and pest escalated its damage with the progression of summer. Results justified clearly that the damage of the pest in Baramulla district of Kashmir is heavy in the months of July and August. Among the crops observed peach (20.56%) was found highly vulnerable to the attack of San Jose scale followed by apple (16.28%), and pear (12.79%) was found to be least susceptible. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not show any significant difference in the rate of infestation across the sites, however infestation rate different significantly among the months (F Apple = 4.17, p = 0.04, F Pear = 9.56, p = 0.003, F Peach = 8.89, p = 0.004; Peach gardens were often neglected and left unsprayed that may be the probable reason for its higher pest infestation.