Widespread infestation of the exotic mealybug species,Phenacoccus solenopsis(Tinsley) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), on cotton in India

Abstract

A survey was conducted in 47 locations in nine cotton-growing states of India to identify the composition of mealybug species occurring on cotton. Results of the taxonomic study showed that two mealybug species, the solenopsis mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley), and the pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), were found to infest cotton plants from all nine cotton growing states of the country. However, P. solenopsis was found to be the predominant mealybug species, comprising 95% of the samples examined. P. solenopsis, which was hitherto not reported to occur in India, now appears to be widespread on cotton in almost all cotton-growing states of the country. P. solenopsis is an exotic species originated from the USA and was reported to damage cotton and crops of 14 families. This report discusses the implications of the introduction of this exotic polyphagous pest species and the necessary steps to mitigate its potential threat to agriculture in India.

Life table of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera) on various phenological stages of cotton

“…In India, P. solenopsis was predominant mealy bug infested cotton in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharastra, Rajsthan and Tamil Nadu (Nagrare et al, 2009). With the introduction of a fortuitously parasitoids, Aenasius bambawali Hayat (Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae) in India (Gautam et al, 2009;Hayat, 2009;Pala and Saini, 2010) and Aneasius sp.…”

Toxicity of insecticides to Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (=Aenasius bambawalei Hayat), a solitary endoparasitoid of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley on Bt cotton under semi-field conditions

“…It was first documented as a pest of cotton in Texas, United States (Fuchs et al, 1991) and now has been widely distributed in various ecological zones of the globe (Ben-Dov and Miller, 2016). Phenacoccus solenopsis, which was hitherto not reported to occur in India, is an exotic species and now widespread on cotton in almost all the cotton growing states of the country (Nagrare et al, 2009). In Punjab, it appeared in a few pockets of Bathinda, Ferozepur and Muktsar districts during 2006, but in 2007, it also spread to other cotton growing areas of Punjab and emerged in a serious proportion causing 30 to 40 per cent losses in the yield of cotton (Dhawan et al, 2007).…”

Effect of Temperature on the Life History of the Mealybug <I>Paracoccus marginatus</I> (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

“…Presently, a mealy bug species, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), has emerged as a major pest of cotton, vegetables and fruits (Tanwar et al 2008). In India, P. solenopsis has been reported on many crops (Suresh & Kaviatha 2008) and is found to cause economic losses in various states including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (Nagrare et al 2009). Tanwar et al (2008) There have been reports of another species of mealy bug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), infesting cotton in Punjab (Dhawan et al 1980) and Gujarat (Muralidharan & Badaya 2000).…”