Population Fluctuation of Selenaspidus articulatus Morgan (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in Rubber Tree

Abstract

Rubber tree is the main source of natural rubber in the world. Because of its economic importance, cultivation was accentuated in several regions of Brazil in the form of monoculture, thus favoring insects to establish in the crop. Among them, the West Indian red scale cochineal Selenaspidus articulatus stands out, responsible for injuring rubber plants due to sap sucking. This work evaluated the fluctuation of S. articulatus in rubber tree clones. Sampling was carried out by collecting leaves every 15 days from PB 235, RRIM 600, PR 255 and GT 1 clones during the period of March 2013 and March 2014. RRIM 600 clone showed the highest population level of S. articulatus, with a population peak of 14.88 insects/leaf in June. PR 255 clone had the lowest scale infestation, demonstrating this clone's possible resistance to this species. This is the first report of S. articulatus occurrence in Goiás.