BIOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND HOST RANGE OF NEW INVASIVE PEST OF INDIA COCONUT RUGOSE SPIRALLING WHITEFLY ALEURODICUS RUGIOPERCULATUS MARTIN IN TAMIL NADU AND THE STATUS OF ITS NATURAL ENEMIES

K. ELANGO¹, S. JEYARAJAN NELSON²*, S. SRIDHARAN³, V. PARANIDHARAN⁴, S. BALAKRISHNAN^5
1Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
²Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
³Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
⁴Department of Plant Pathology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
⁵Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
* Corresponding Author : sjn652003@gmail.com

Received : 03-05-2019     Accepted : 12-05-2019     Published : 15-05-2019
Volume : 11     Issue : 9       Pages : 8423 - 8426
Int J Agr Sci 11.9 (2019):8423-8426

Keywords : Coconut, Encarsia, Invasive, Rugose, Whitefly
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to Department of Entomology and Central for Plant Protection Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641003, Tamil Nadu, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Intensive field survey was undertaken during August 2017 to February 2019 in major coconut growing districts of Tamil Nadu to study the distribution, host range and natural enemies of new invasive pest in India coconut, Rugose spiralling whitefly (RSW) Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin. The new invasive pest completed its life cycle in 59.00± 3.2 days in coconut with egg, nymphal, pupal and adult period of 6.9±0.88, 19.57±2.17, 10.9±0.78 and 22.7±3.48 days respectively. The RSW incidence were recorded in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, Pudukottai and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu. The rugose spiralling whitefly incidence was high in Coimbatore district followed by tiruppur and Erode. Survey carried out in Tamil Nadu showed the occurrence of rugose spiralling whitefly in21 hosts belonging to 15 botanical families. Among all host plants coconut and banana are the most preferable hosts to RSW. In this present study 9 predators (3 from Neuroptera, 5 from Coleoptera and one from hymenoptera) and one parasitoid belongs to the family Aphelinidae (Encarsia guadeloupae Viggiani) were observed. Among the natural enemies E. guadeloupae is the predominant parasitoid with the potential of parasitizing RSW upto70-80%. The field samples collected from Kanyakumari district had more parasitization (60.75%) by E. guadeloupae followed by Coimbatore (58.60%) and Tiruppur(56.06%) district.

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