Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

1. Apple woolly aphid

1. Apple woolly aphid - Eriosoma lanigarum Hausmn. (Pemphigidae : Hemiptera)

Damage

• Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the bark fruit stalk, calyx and roots.
• The affected plants become weak and cause death of the plants in the nursery.
• It causes gall like swellings on the stem and roots.
• It crowds together covered with woolly white patches on the trunk.
Bionomics

• The aphid is purplish aphid covered with white cottony mats.
• It reproduces both sexually and asexually.
• Generally it develops parthenogenetically.
• Apterous forms are present throughout the year.
• Each female may produce up to 116 young ones in her life time.
• The nymph undergoes four instars.
• The nymphal period is 35 - 42 days.
• Alate form disperses by flight and gives rise to apterous forms by sexual reproduction.
Management

• Use tolerant or resistant root stocks; M778, M779, MM 14, MM 110, MM 112, MM 114 and MM 115.
• Release specific eulophid parasitoid Aphelinus mali during December and
• June to obtain maximum parasitization and predators, Chilomenes bijugus and Coccinella septumpunctata.
• Spray nicotin sulphate 40EC 500 ml or malathion 50 EC 750 ml in 500 litres of water.
• Apply the fumigant paradichlorobenzene at 30-110 gram / tree in a 15 cm deep trench around the tree about two metres away from the base of the affected tree.
• Remove the aphids mechanically by rubbing with clothes without causing
• any damage to the developing buds.
• Follow nursery bed treatment of carbofuran 3 G 0.5 g a.i./plant or spray dimethoate 0.03% or methyl demeton 0.025% in March to April and June to control aerial forms.