Population Abundance of the Red Scale Insect Aonidiella aurantii (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on Different Cardinal Directions of Guava Trees

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Moustafa Bakry 1
Yaghoub Fathipour 2
1 Scale Insects and Mealybugs Research Deppartment, Plant Protection Research Institute, A.R.C, Dokki, 12619 Giza,
2 Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
10.48311/jast.2026.16871
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 (2022/2024). 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.



Keywords
Egypt
Population density
Population fluctuation
Preference index
Scale insect pest
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Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 28, Issue 3
May and June 2026
Pages 699-714