Influence of Pre-Harvest Bagging on the Incidence of Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and Fruit Quality in Mango

Abstract

Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) is the main pest of mango, Mangifera indica L., in Spain, causing significant economic losses by aesthetic damage that reduce the commercial value of fruit. Bagging fruit with two commercial bags (a yellow satin paper and a white muslin cloth bag) was evaluated for control of A. tubercularis in two organic mango orchards during the 2020 cropping season in pursuit of the development of a mango IPM program to produce pest-free and residue-free fruits. Results from fruit damage evaluations at harvest showed that bagging significantly reduced pest incidence and fruit damage compared with non-bagged plots. Of the two bags evaluated, white muslin cloth bag provided higher levels of fruit protection from A. tubercularis damage, reducing the non-commercial fruit percentage by up to 93.42%. Fruit quality assessment indicated that weight and size of bagged fruit were significantly higher than the non-bagged. Paper-bagged mangoes showed higher whiteness and yellowness compared to the other treatments. Soluble solids content (ºBrix) was higher in paper-bagged fruit than all other treatment plots. The results from this study indicate that pre-harvest fruit bagging is effective at controlling A. tubercularis and should be integrated into an IPM program for Spanish mango production.

Predicting the habitat suitability of the invasive white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis; Newstead, 1906 (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) using bioclimatic variables

“…Aulacaspis tubercularis is a polyphagous invasive insect pest that has spread rapidly and has the potential to spread further causing huge damage to crops of economic importance including mango. 1,2,14 Although it is an important pest, studies on its biology and ecology are limited. To better understand the current invasions of A. tubercularis and prevent further spread toward new areas, knowledge of habitat suitability and risk assessment for this pest is required.…”

“…2 The remaining records were obtained from published literature. 7,8,11,[13][14][15][16][18][19][20][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] The geographical coordinates (longitude and latitude) of these records were verified using the Google Earth platform (https://www.google.com/earth/). We then used the R package spThin to filter these points to reduce the spatial autocorrelation.…”

“…Since 2010, A. tubercularis has received considerable attention in various countries as an emerging pest of mango due to its economic importance. 11,13 These countries include Spain, 14 Mexico, 11 Egypt, 15 Argentina, 16 Ethiopia, 17,18 India, China, Pakistan, 6 and South Africa 19 among others. 1,4 For instance, in Mexico, A. tubercularis is ranked as the second most damaging pest of mango after the fruit flies complex, which causes 33% of the fruits damage.…”

“…11 Similarly, the white mango scale is currently the main pest of mango in Spain where it causes losses of up to 40% in late-ripening cultivars. 14 In Ethiopia, A. tubercularis has colonized most of the mango-producing regions in the country, which has resulted in a serious negative impact on mango production. 13,17,18,20 The incidence of A. tubercularis is highly affected by climatic factors, especially temperature and relative humidity.…”

Pest categorisation of Pulvinaria psidii

“…( 2020 ); Del Pino et al. ( 2021a , b ) Spain Canary Islands Present, no details CABI (online); Gómez‐Menor Guerrero ( 1967 ); Jaques and Urbaneja ( 2006 ) Africa Algeria Present, no details García Morales et al. ( 2016 ) Angola Present, no details García Morales et al.…”