HOST PLANT – SCALE INSECT, FLORIDA WAX SCALE ceroplastes floridensis (COMST) INTERACTION.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Economic Entomology Dept., Fac. of Agric., Mansoura Univ., Egypt.

2 Agric. Res. Center (ARC), Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt.

Abstract

The present study was carried out at the experimental farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University during the two seasons; 2010 and 2011 to evaluate the of (blood orange, loquat  and mango) to Florida wax scale, Ceroplastes floridensis (Comst). C. floridensisPopulation fluctuation exhibited three peaks of abundance in blood orange, Loquat and mango orchards. The more favourable host for C. floridensiswas blood orange followed by loquat then mango. However, C. floridensispopulation showed the highest density on blood orange trees and the lowest on mango trees. The average population density of C. floridensispopulation was (4.53 ± 3.15, 1.36 ± 0.34 and 1.58± 0.36) and (3.28 ± 1.0, 1.44 ± 0.16 and 1.07 ± 0.10) on blood orange, Lquat and mango leaves, respectively. Chemical analysis indicated that loquat and mandarin leaves had the highest percentage of total protein in comparison with blood orange leaves. On the contrary, the pest exhibited the highest population density on Orange leaves. Statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between the changes of total protein contents and C. floridensispopulation density in all tested host plants. While, there was correlation with the carbohydrates percent.