Shadi Deeb(1) Rafik Abboud*(1) Majeda Mofleh(1) and Muhammed Ahmad(2)
(1). Latakia Agriculture Center, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.
(2). Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Latakia, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Dr. Rafik Abboud. E-Mail: abboud.rafeek@hotmail.com).
Received: 30/07/2017 Accepted: 10/11/2017
Abstract
The citricola scale Coccus pseudomagnoliarum (Kuwana) and the olive scale insect Saissetia oleae (Olivier) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) are considered economically important pests on citrus in the Syrian coast. This study was carried out at Ciano Research Station, Latakia Research Center/Syria, to evaluate the efficiency of the predators Serangium parcesetosum (Sicard), and Cilocorus bipustulatus L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to control both of pests within the cages. The study included six treatments, with three replicates per treatment. Citrus grasses isolated individually within cages, and infested in the first, second and third treatment by adults of citricola scale, and in the fourth, fifth and sixth treatments by adults of olive scale. The adults of S. parcesetosum were released after 30 days of the infection, in the first and fourth treatments, while the adults of C. bipustulatus were released in the second and fifth treatments at a rate of 2 adults/grass per a week, but the third and sixth treatments adopted as a control for comparison. The results showed the ability of the predators feeding on nymphs first age for each of the pests, and they were able to reduce the intensity of citricola scale nymphs by 97.8 and 99.2% in both predators C. bipustulatus and S. parcesetosum two weeks after the release, respectively, while the rate of decline in the control was 29.2% during the same period. Black scale nymph’s density also decreased by 99.9 and 99.4% in the treatments of predators C. bipustulatus and S. parcesetosum after three weeks of the launch, respectively. The results of this study showed the ability of each of predators C. bipustulatus and S. parcesetosum in control citricola scale and olive scale on citrus.
Key words: Biological control, Citricola scale, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum, Olive scale, Saissetia oleae, Serangium parcesetosum, Cilocorus bipustulatus.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF