Studies on seasonal incidence of mealy bug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green) and their natural enemies on custard apple (Annona squamosa L)

Abstract

The present experiment entitled “Studies on seasonal incidence of mealy bug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green) and their natural enemies on custard apple (Annona squamosa L)” was conducted during kharif season in year 2021-22, 2022-23 at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.), India. The experiment was laid out in RBD (Randomized Block Design) with 10 treatments and three replications. The treatment consists of T1 (Verticillium lecanii 5 g/liter), T2 (Beauveria bassiana 7.5 g/liter), T3 (Metarhizium anisoplie 5 g/liter), T4 (Verticillium lecanii 7.5 g/liter), T5 (Beauveria bassiana 5 g/liter), T6 (Metarhizium anisoplie 7.5g/liter), T7 (Neemark 5ml/liter), T8 (Buprofezin 2ml /liter), T9 (Flonicamid 0.5g/liter) and T10 (Untreated plots). The population of mealy bug showed significant positive correlation with morning relative humidity (0.562 and 0.563) during 2021-2022 and 2022-23, respectively. Weekly observations on mealy bug and natural enemy (predator, parasitoid and coccinellid) populations were recorded on tagged fruits of ten randomly selected trees over five months. Meteorological data on maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were obtained from the meteorological observatory. The data on weekly mealy bug and natural enemy populations were correlated with the meteorological parameters to study the influence of abiotic factors. The study provides insights into the seasonal abundance patterns of mealy bugs and their natural enemies and their relationship with climatic conditions.