Population abundance of the red scale insect Aonidiella aurantii (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on different cardinal directions of guava trees

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
M. Bakry 1
Y. Fathipour 2
1 Plant Protection Research Institute
2 Tarbiat Modares University
Abstract
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 (2022/2023 and 2023/2024). 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 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.


Keywords

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Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 January 2024