Pests of Citrus

Abstract

Citrus is one of the important fruit crops in India with the production of 111.47 lakh tons from 10.78 lakh hectares with the productivity of 10.34 tons/ha at national level as compared to 25–30 tons/ha in advanced citrus-producing countries (NHB 2013). The productivity and quality of citrus are severely affected by several factors, insect pests being one of them. More than 250 insect pests were reported to attack citrus in India. A total of 22 insect species in Punjab (Atwal 1976), 50 insect species in Karnataka, 42 insect species in north-eastern hill region (Pathak and Rao 1999), 20 insect species in West Bengal and about a dozen insect species in central India have been reported on different citrus cultivars. Further, the pest occurrence and distribution in India indicated that about 21 species are common throughout the citrus-growing areas, and remaining species may occur in some areas either occasionally or rarely. Of the reported insect pests, Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama), citrus blackfly (Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby), whitefly (Aleurolobus marlatti (Quaintance) and Dialeurodes sp.), leaf miner (Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton), lemon butterfly (Papilio demoleus Linn.), leaf folder (Psorosticha zizyphi Stainton), aphids (Aphis spp. and Toxoptera spp.), thrips (Scirtothrips spp.), mealybugs (Planococcus citri Risso), scales (Coccus hesperidum Linn), fruit-sucking moth (Eudocima spp.), fruit fly (Bactrocera sp.), citrus trunk borer (Anoplophora versteegi Ritsema), bark-eating caterpillar, Indarbela spp. and citrus mites (Eutetranychus orientalis Klien, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks), Phyllocoptruta oleivora Ashmead and Brevipalpus spp.) are the major insect and mite pests of citrus crop. A brief description of symptoms of damage of insect and mite pests and their management is described below.