Abstract
Mealybugs are agricultural pests occurring all over the world. The Sao Francisco Valley is one of the most productive regions regarding the cultivation of fruit crops in Brazil, demanding a proper phytosanitary management that can be obtained through the biological control of pests. Fortnight samples of mealybugs associated with roots, trunk, leaves and fruits of grapevines, pear, apple, persimmon, guava and Barbados cherry were performed in commercial farms in the sub-medium Sao Franciso Valley, Brazil, during twelve months. In order to identify mealybugs based on morphological characteristics from adult female specimens, samples were stored in Eppendorf tubes containing ethanol 70%, labeled and then identified. A total of 10,189 mealybugs, including nymphs and adult females were collected, with the highest number of specimens found in grapevines. The second most affected crop was persimmon, followed by pear. The lowest infestation was observed in guava, apple and Barbados cherry. Pseudococcidae evidenced preference for fruits. The following mealybugs were observed in the sub-medium region of the Sao Francisco Valley: Planococcus sp., Planococcus citri, Phenacoccus solenopsis, Dysmicoccus brevipes, Maconellicoccus hirsutus, Ferrisia virgata and Pseudococcus elisae. Key words: Fluctuation, identification, morphology, pests.
Highlights
Brazil is one of the world leading fruit producers, with an area of 2.5 million hectares and production of around 40 million tons per year
We aim to identify mealybugs associated with grapevines, pear, apple, persimmon, guava and Barbados cherry crops cultivated in the Sao Franciso Valley-Brazil and to study the behavior of these insects by means of their population dynamics, distribution and faunistic analysis
Pear, apple, persimmon, guava and Barbados cherry were sampled in different farms, analyzing 10 plants per hectare for each fruit crop
Summary
Brazil is one of the world leading fruit producers, with an area of 2.5 million hectares and production of around 40 million tons per year. The municipalities of Petrolina-PE and Juazeiro-BA are the main exporters of table grapes in Brazil, with future perspectives to increase production (Silva et al, 2014). Guava and Barbados cherries are consolidated crops in the Sao Francisco Valley region, while some other fruit crops are being implemented, such as apple, pear and persimmon (Lopes et al, 2013; Oliveira et al, 2015). In Brazil, persimmon has a planted area equivalent to 9,000 ha, producing more than 170,000 tons per year, with emphasis in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where mealybugs were found in at least 50% of the planted areas. Sometimes chemical control used against insect pests has proven inefficient and may contribute in an antagonistic manner to its original purpose (Silva et al, 2017)
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