Biological control of citrus mealybug,Planococcus citri with an introduced parasite,Leptomastix dactylopii in India

Abstract

Planococcus citri (Risso) is one of the major pests of citrus orchards in India. For the control of P. citri, an encyrtid parasite, Leptomastix dactylopii How. was introduced from West Indies in 1983. The parasite was mass bred and inoculative releases were made in 2 selected citrus orchards where infestation of mealybug on fruits (sweet orange, seedless lime and acid lime) ranged from 38 to 65 per cent. Establishment of the parasite in the 2 release orchards resulted in complete control of the mealybug within 3 to 4 months. No insecticidal sprays were required subsequently for the control of P. citri in the following seasons.

DNA-based characterization of an invasive mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) species damaging cotton in Pakistan

“…Control of the citrus mealybug in India and cassava mealybug in Africa by parasitic wasps are the best examples of the biological control of mealybugs (Krishnamoorthy and Singh, 1987;Norgaard, 1988). Currently, for mealybug control in Pakistan, the major focus has been on biological control using insect natural enemies.…”

Predation of the apefly,Spalgis epius(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) on citrus mealybug,Planococcus citri(Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

“…Chemical control of the citrus mealybug is not easy because of the waxy material which covers the eggs and the adult females (Dean, Hart, and Ingle 1971). Satisfactory control of citrus mealybug has not been achieved hitherto with chemicals in India and elsewhere (Krishnamoorthy and Singh 1987). Owing to lack of effective control of P. citri, it causes crop loss of 80Á90% in citrus plants (Uygun 2001).…”

“…Owing to lack of effective control of P. citri, it causes crop loss of 80Á90% in citrus plants (Uygun 2001). Long ago, India imported a predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) for the control of different species of mealybugs including P. citri and a parasitoid Leptomastix dactylopii Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) exclusively for the control of P. citri (Rao, Ghani, Sankaran, and Mature 1971;Krishnamoorthy and Singh 1987) and they are moderately effective in the field (Krishnamoorthy and Singh 1987;Murulibaskaran, Srinivasan, Muthumeena, Muthulakshmi, and Mahadevan 2002;Mani and Krishnamoorthy 2007).…”

Mass rearing ofSpalgis epius(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), a potential predator of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

“…Satisfactory control of different species of mealybugs has not been achieved with insecticides because of their protective wax body coating and ability to escape exposure inside bark crevices and other inaccessible parts of plants (Krishnamoorthy and Singh 1987;Browning 1992;Joyce, Hoddle, Bellows, and Gonzalez 2001).…”