Tarbiat Modares University Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology 1680-7073 28 3 2026 05 01 Population Abundance of the Red Scale Insect Aonidiella aurantii (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on Different Cardinal Directions of Guava Trees 699 714 16871 10.48311/jast.2026.16871 EN Moustafa Bakry Scale Insects and Mealybugs Research Deppartment, Plant Protection Research Institute, A.R.C, Dokki, 12619 Giza, Yaghoub Fathipour Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 0000-0002-7963-5409 Journal Article 1970 01 01 The red scale insect, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), is a major pest of guava trees. This study investigated the population abundance, preference, and dispersal patterns of A. aurantii in a guava orchard in the Armant District, Luxor, Egypt, over two consecutive years (2022/2024). Monitoring was conducted biweekly, revealing that A. aurantii infested guava leaves year-round at varying densities. The pest exhibited a strong preference for the upper surface of leaves in the basal layer of the southeastern quadrant, where population density remained consistently high throughout the study period. Using preference and dispersal indices, we evaluated sixteen canopy quadrant-layer-leaf surface combinations. The upper surface of the basal leaves in the southeastern quadrant had the highest quantity ratio, preference index, relative abundance establishment rate, and dispersal index, confirming its suitability for A. aurantii compared to other canopy positions. These findings provide critical insights for optimizing sampling and targeted control strategies, supporting the development of an effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program against A. aurantii in guava orchards.

https://jast.modares.ac.ir/article_16871_386a1940efd5c4d0c584523e580653b4.pdf