Comparative biology of citrus leaf-miner on different citrus rootstocks and wild hosts

Abstract The oviposition by the citrus leaf-miner, Phyllocnistis citrella , was highest on ‘Rangpur’ lime and slightly lower on ‘Jatti Khatti’ and ‘Kharna Khatta’. ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘Troyer’ were moderately preferred, while the lowest number of eggs was recorded on Murraya exotica , followed by Jasminum sambac , but no mining was observed on these two hosts. The mean duration of the egg stage did not vary much on different hosts. The larval duration was highest in ‘Troyer’, indicating prolongation which was possibly due to antibiosis. The minimum larval survival was also recorded in ‘Troyer’, confirming antibiosis. There was not much difference in the pre-pupal stage. The pupal period was prolonged on ‘Troyer’ as compared to other hosts. This further confirms the occurrence of antibiosis in ‘Troyer’ to citrus leaf-miner. In general, the life cycle was short during June and long during February in all the hosts. The general conclusion is that ‘Troyer’ was a less suitable host for citrus leaf-miner compared to other rootstocks.