Biology, natural enemies and damage of the sugarcane whitefly (Neomaskellia andropogonis) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Iran

Abstract

An outbreak of the sugarcane whitefly (Neomaskellia andropogonis Corbett) recently occurred in sugarcane fields in Khuzestan Province of Iran. This pest sucks plant sap producing large amounts of honeydew. In Khuzestan Province, populations of all developmental stages increase from early August until late November. At this time, when sugarcane is at the ripening stage, nymphs suck the sap, and in cases of severe infestation, retard the growth of sugarcane plants. In this study, we investigated the biology of the pest on different cultivars of sugarcane and under different temperatures. Also, we conducted experiments to determine the damage caused by the pest in the field. Mean pre-adult developmental times were 24.09, 28.06, 27.27 and 26.64 days on CP69-1062, CP57-1062, CP48-103 and NCO-310 cultivars, respectively, and only female progeny were produced. Mean longevity of females on the four cultivars was 6, 8.49, 4.15 and 4.60 days, respectively. Adult females laid an average of 61.80, 58.80, 41.10 and 39.38 eggs on the four cultivars, respectively. Results show that the optimum temperature for development of different stages of N. andropogonis is 30±1°C during the day and 25±1°C at night, and at this temperature, egg and nymphal duration (including first, second, third instars and pupae) and adult longevity were 6.2, 17.0 and 7.6 days, respectively. Females of cultivar CP69-1062 laid an average of 50.09 eggs. Analysis of data on the quality of damage (including Brix, pol and refined sugar factors) shows that damage was inversely and significantly correlated with the number of infested leaves. Whitefly damage differed among cultivars; and, based on the quality of damage, early maturing cultivars were more susceptible to whitefly damage. We collected two parasitoid wasps from nymphs—Encarsia inaron (Walker) (Hym.: Aphelinidae) and Eretmocerus delhiensis Mani (Hym.: Aphelinidae). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the biology, damage and natural enemies of N. andropogonis on sugarcane in Iran.

Pest categorisation of Neomaskellia andropogonis

“…Using data in Askarianzadeh and Minaeimoghadam (2018) we estimate the threshold temperature for development from egg to adult to be 7.2°C with approximately 500 degree days required for a generation. However, this estimate is based on a small amount of data and is therefore uncertain.…”

“…The majority of research on N. andropogonis has been undertaken in Iran, where it has become an important economic pest of sugarcane since it was first reported in 2006 (Askarianzadeh and Manzari, 2006). Its biology has been studied on different cultivars of sugarcane and at different temperatures by Askarianzadeh and Minaeimoghadam (2018). Whitefly populations increase from early August until late November, and large infestations retard the growth of the host plants.…”

“…Adults of N. andropogonis are yellow with whitish wings with broad pale grey transverse bands and mottling, that are dusted with white powdery wax. The pupae are yellow or pale brown, often darker in the median area, oval, with 16 pairs of long submarginal setae, and an irregularly crenulate margin (Askarianzadeh and Manzari, 2006).…”

“…Pest distribution outside the EUN. andropogonis is native to southern central Asia and has recently established in Iran and Iraq(Askarianzadeh and Manzari, 2006) (see Appendix B and Figure1).…”

Insecticidal effect of deltamethrin, dinotefuran and spiromesifen against the sugarcane whitefly Neomaskellia andropogonis on CP69-1062 sugarcane cultivar

“…To date, no chemical control is applied for this pest in sugarcane fi elds in Iran. However, damages on sugarcane by N. andporogonis have been increasing recently due to outbreaks of the pest (Askarianzadeh and Minaeimoghadam, 2018;Nikpay, 2017), making research on eff ective chemical insecticides highly important for the management of this pest in near future.…”