INCIDENCE AND DAMAGE OF MEALY BUGS DROSICHA

Abstract: Mango Mangenifera indica L, the king of all fruits is cultivated in about 7, 50,000 hectares in Indian subcontinent. The varieties like hapus, grafted and hybrids are more susceptible to insect pests including Mealy bugs, Drosicha mangiferae Green (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Therefore, incidence and damage caused by D. mangiferae on mango verities hapus, grafted and hybrids have been studied from Kolhapur district during the years 2011-2013. The pest occurred on the crop in December and caused extensive damage to crop by sucking cell sap from tender leaves, stem, flowering and fruiting bodies which resulted in extensive fall of flowering and fruiting bodies. The Mealy bug population was associated with crop up to ripening of fruits which disfigured and made the fruits insipid in the Kolhapur region. Hapus, grafted and other hybrid verities of Mango were equally susceptible to Mealy bug attack in the region. Preventive control measures are suggested in the paper