Host Plants of Invasive Papaya Mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Williams and Granara de Willink) in Tamil Nadu
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Author:P. Sakthivel, P. Karuppuchamy, M. Kalyanasundaram and T. Srinivasan
p-ISSN:0024-9602, e-ISSN:2582-5321, Vol:99, Issue:jul-sep
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.100154
Abstract
Invasive papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Williams Granara de Willink) invaded
Tamil Nadu, India in 2008 has attained the status of a serious pest on a wide range of host
plants. An extensive survey conducted during 2009 - 2011 revealed the presence of this
mealybug on 133 plant species belonging to 48 families including pulses, oilseeds, fibre
crops, narcotics, green manures, vegetables, fruit trees, tuber crops, flower plants,
ornamentals, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, biofuel crops, tree species
and weeds. Plants from Malvaceae, Solanaceae, Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae were generally
found as preferred hosts of this mealybug species. High host preference was noticed on 33
hosts followed by medium damage in 31 hosts. Pest intensity and damage was found to be
low in 56 host plants while there was incidental damage for shorter durations in 13 hosts.
Key words : Papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus, survey, host range