Abstract
Darjeeling hills and Dooars of West Bengal (India) are well known for production of mandarin orange and lime. Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is wide spread in this region. Role of insect vectors in spreading CTV in this region has not been studied so far. Therefore, a study on identification of insect vectors along with their temporal and spatial distribution was undertaken. Five aphid species were identified from citrus orchards of Darjeeling and Dooars viz. Toxoptera citricida, T. aurantii, Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae and Brachycaudus helichrysi. T. citricida was found predominant in the orchards of lower altitude and was responsible for maximum spread of CTV. T. aurantii was dominant in the citrus orchards at high altitude (>500 m). Incidence of CTV was higher in the orchards where T. citricida was present either alone or with other species. Under caged conditions, T. citricida was more efficient to transmit CTV than the other aphid species. Occurrences of all aphid species were highly influenced by the advent of new flushes.
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