A record of host plants of mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis tinsley for devising ecofriendly management strategies

2012 
A record of 166 host plants of mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis tinsley belonging to 51 families comprising 78 weeds, 27 ornamentals, 18 trees, 17 vegetables, 12 field crops, 8 fruit plants and 4 spice plants was made in three cotton agro-ecosystems of India. Maximum number of host plants were recorded from Malvaceae (10.24%) followed by Asteraceae (9.64%), Fabaceae (9.04%), Amaranthaceae (6.63%), Euphorbiaceae (6.63%), solanaceae (6.02), Poaceae (4.22) and Lamiaceae (3.61%). Quite a high number of host plants compared to cotton season were recorded during off season in North, Central, south and across India. Among the host plants, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn., Abutilon spp., Malvastrum coramandelinum Garcke (Malvaceae), Lantanacamara (Verbenaceae); Withania somnifera (solanaceae) harboured this pest round the year and acted as a persistent source for spread of mealybug to cotton and other crops. Besides cotton, papaya and tomato; cultivated crops viz., sunflower, brinjal, cluster bean and green gram were found to be severely infested in North Zone; chilli, okra, brinjal and potato in Central Zone while potato in south Zone. Promoting pigeon pea intercropping and discouraging weeds especially Acmella uliginosa (sw.) Cass., Helianthus sp., Parthenium hysterophorus Linn., Pentanema indicum (L.) Y. Ling, Taraxacum officinale Linn., Xanthium strumarium Linn. (Asteraceae); Abelmoschus ficulneus (Linn.), Abutilon indicum sweet, Malvastrum coramandelinum G., Sida cordifolia Linn. (Malvaceae); Euphorbia heterophylla Linn, Euphorbia hirta Linn., Phyllanthus amarus Linn. (Euphorbiaceae); Corchorus trilocularis Linn., Triumfetta rhomboidea Linn. (tiliaceae), Trianthema portulacastrum Linn. (Aizoaceae), Asteracantha longifolia Nees (Acantheceae), Digera muricata (Linn.) (Amaranthaceae), Clitoriaternatea Linn. (Fabaceae), Boerhavia diffusa Chois. (Nyctaginaceae) and Portulaca oleracea Linn. (Portulacaceae) during cotton season as well as off-season as a part of cultural component of Integrated Pest Management holds the key in the ecofriendly mealybug suppression besides avoiding other malvaceous and solanaceous crops in the vicinity of previously mealybug affected fields.
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