Abstract

BARILLI, DIANDRO R. et al. Biological characteristics of the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2014, vol.40, n.1, pp.21-24. ISSN 0120-0488.

The cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) feeds by sucking the sap of cassava plants, causing damage directly by sucking the sap and contaminating the plant with its toxic saliva and indirectly by favoring the development of sooty molds. To establish an integrated pest management program, information about the biology of pest species is basic. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine some biological characteristics of Ph. manihoti on cassava. The experiment was conducted using Santa Helena cultivar which was kept in a semi-heated room at an average temperature of 25 °C. Approximately 20 newly oviposited eggs were placed on four apical leaves of each plant. After the eggs had hatched, only one first-instar nymph was left per leaf. The mealybug nymphs were examined on a daily basis; information on molting time was recorded and data on mortality and oviposition were used to construct a fertility life table. The experiment was conducted with 90 replicates. The average duration of the egg, first-instar, second-instar, third-instar nymph and the adult stages were 7.7, 6.9, 4.9, 5.7 and 20.7 days, respectively. On average, the total life cycle lasted 45.22 days, and each female was able to produce a total of 247 eggs. The net increase rate (R_o), mean generation time (T), intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) and doubling time (D_T) were 223.640 female/female, 36.500 days, 0.145 female/female/day and 4.780 days, respectively. The maximum rate of population increase occurred on the 36^th day.

Keywords : Fertility life table; Manihot esculenta; Insect pest of cassava.

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