Biology, seasonal incidence and management of Apsylla cistellata Bucton. on mango in West Bengal
Goutam Samui and S. Jha
ABSTRACT
Mango is attacked by various insect pests among which mango shoot gall psylla Apsylla cistellata Bucton.(Psyllidae: Hemiptera) is the most important one in the district of Malda and Murshidabad, West Bengal. Adult females of the pest had been found to lay eggs at the sides of midribs during first week to end of March. Incubation period lasted from first week of March to middle of August. Eggs hatched in the middle of August and gall formation had been found to start from first week of September. Nymphal period lasted from mid of August to end of February. Adult emergence occurred from fourth week of February and continued up to third week of March. Nymphs initially fed from midrib of leaf and then entered into the gall which they formed on the emerging vegetative buds resulting in total failure of such buds to put forth inflorescence properly. Repeated spraying without proper knowledge on the life cycle did not give good result in managing the pest. Hence, application of insecticides had to be synchronized with the emergence of nymphs. To manage the shoot gall psylla, mechanical control (Pruning) and insecticidal control measure were taken up in the district of Murshidabad. In mechanical control, both pruning of 15 cm and 30 cm of affected shoots resulted in the formation of lower number of gall/shoot as compared to control. But pruning at 30c m had been found to be most effective in managing the psyllid gall. In insecticidal control, lowest number of galls were recorded per shoot on the branches treated with monocrotophos (0.35 galls/shoot) followed by quinalphos (0.73 galls/shoot) and imidacloprid (1.03 galls/shoot). However, the performance of all the three insecticides were statistically at par.
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December 2009
Vol. 1, Iss. 1, Pages 1-101
