Codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., is a major pest of pome fruits and walnuts worldwide. Screening the susceptibility of apple varieties to C. pomonella infestation is an important step to develop a sustainable management program against this pest. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore potential correlations between pest damage and several physical (firmness, weight, and diameter), chemical (pH, SSC, and TA), and biochemical (polyphenols) fruit properties collected from two sites with distinctively twelve and seven commercial apple varieties. The study was conducted in two distinct Moroccan regions to highlight whether the traits influencing the insect’s preference could be similar for different varieties under contrasted climates. In both regions, results revealed that the pest damage varied significantly across apple varieties as well as between observation dates. The late and medium maturing varieties had similar damage patterns and were heavily attacked compared to early maturing ones. The preferred varieties were Galaxy Gala, Obro Gala, Golden Smoothee, Black Staymen, and Idared, while the least preferred ones were Anna, Dorsett, and Stark Delicious. Some physical and chemical fruit properties seemed to be associated with the insect behavior, in particular, firmness and pH were positively correlated to pest damage. Moreover, the research suggested that infestations might be influenced by diameter, weight, and polyphenol content of fruits.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), caused by Fusicladium oleagineum, is a significant disease affecting olive orchards, leading to reduced yields and compromising olive tree health. Early and accurate detection of this disease is critical for effective management. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of OLS disease progression in olive orchards by integrating agronomic measurements and multispectral imaging techniques. Key disease parameters—incidence, severity, diseased leaf area, and disease index—were systematically monitored from March to October, revealing peak values of 45% incidence in April and 35% severity in May. Multispectral drone imagery, using sensors for NIR, Red, Green, and Red Edge spectral bands, enabled the calculation of vegetation indices. Indices incorporating Red Edge and near-infrared bands, such as Red Edge and SR705-750, exhibited the strongest correlations with disease severity (correlation coefficients of 0.72 and 0.68, respectively). This combined approach highlights the potential of remote sensing for early disease detection and supports precision agriculture practices by facilitating targeted interventions and optimized orchard management. The findings underscore the effectiveness of integrating a traditional agronomic assessment with advanced spectral analysis to improve OLS disease surveillance and promote sustainable olive cultivation.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), also called olive scab and peacock eye, caused by Fusicladium oleagineum, is a major disease that causes significant damage to olive trees. However, we still lack information about how cultivar and environmental factors influence disease development. In this study, evaluation of the incidence and severity on twenty olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.), maintained in an ex situ collection in Morocco, was carried out monthly during the period from March to July 2021. Biochemical parameters were also evaluated for each cultivar including leaf chlorophyll, polyphenols and flavonoid contents. Results revealed that the OLS incidence was highly correlated with severity (r = 0.94) and found to be related to climatic conditions and cultivars. The studied cultivars were classified into four major groups, i.e., susceptible, moderately susceptible, moderately resistant and resistant. Finally, our investigations revealed a partial relationship between resistance to the OLS disease and phenolic and flavonoid leaf contents, supporting the assumption of the potential involvement of such components in cultivar resistance to the disease. Overall, our work highlights the importance of characterizing olive cultivar resistance to OLS in driving the choice of the best varieties for an effective control of the disease in specific warming regions such as Morocco.

The codling moth ( C. pomonella ) is a notorious pest of apples, pears and other pome fruits, causing significant economic damage during outbreaks. This study investigated the voltinism of codling moth across various climatic conditions at three distinct Moroccan apple orchards; two in the Atlas Mountains and one in the plain. Our objective was to assess the voltinism of the pest and to analyze its evolution in relation with the temperature factor through different locations. We employed phenological models to predict insect generation patterns and the onset of adult flights, and compared predictions with observed data obtained from trap catches. At all study sites, a single generation required an average accumulation of 549 DD close to some models assumptions. The study also highlighted the significant impact of temperature on the insect’s voltinism and indicated that a warmer climate could lead to an additional generation. In the mountainous regions, the pest typically occurs on three generations, with a potential fourth one if the growing season exceeds 2000 DD. In the plain, the moth completes four generations. Furthermore, the advent of flights varied among locations, highlighting the need to account for the synchrony between insect emergence and host tree phenological stages when predicting the onset of moth activity. Finally, the study suggests that different models should be used in Morocco to predict moth flights accurately as observed data were consistently aligning with specific models at each location.

Codling moth, C. pomonella L., is known as one of the main pests of pome fruits (apple and pear) and walnuts worldwide. Several control methods have been performed to decrease its incidence, however, it still represents a threat to the production and remains unsuccessfully managed. The current study has been conducted to highlight potential correlations between the codling moth damage and the physicochemical traits of fruits according to the voltinism of the insect through a growing season. The voltinism was determined and thirteen well-known apple cultivars were investigated between June and July, for codling moth damage as well as for physicochemical fruits characterization. Results showed highly significant differences between varieties in terms of codling moth infestation. The incidence of the insect varied according to the maturity stage of the fruits; the medium maturing varieties were the most attacked among the studied varieties, namely Galaxy and Obro Gala. Moreover, the firmness and sugar content seemed to be involved in codling moth attraction towards certain varieties. The preference to these two parameters changed among the insect’s generations.