SURVEY AND POPULATION FLUCTUATION OF THE PIERCING SUCKING PESTS INHABITING SOLANACEOUS CROPS AT ASSIUT GOVERNORATE

Abstract

Solanaceous crops, potato, Solanum tuberosum L.; sweet pepper,Capsicum annuum L.; tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. and eggplant,Solanum melongena L. were used to survey the insects, mites and naturalenemies and to study the population fluctuation of the piercing suckingpests, aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover); whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.);leafhopper, Empoasca decipiens (Paoli) and the two-spotted spider mite,Tetranychus urticae Koch inhabiting it at Sahel-Saleem district, AssiutGovernorate during 2009 and 2010 growing seasons. Fifty five speciesbelonging to thirty five families and nine orders found on Solanaceouscrops, were encountered by using the sweeping net method. Data also,revealed that, all the Solanaceous crops infest with the piercing suckingpests, but with a variable degree, eggplant received a higher mean numberwith the piercing sucking pests, followed by potato, tomato and sweetpepper. A higher infestation with aphid and whitefly to the Soalanceouscrops were in March, but the higher infestation with leafhopper and twospotted spider mite to the Solanaceous crops were in May during the twosuccessive seasons.