Local adaptation in a parasitoid-host system : With special reference to Papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus & its parasitoid Acerophagus papayae

ISBN-13: 9786202198721 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 388 str.

Rengadoss Nisha; John Samuel Kennedy

Opis

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Williams & Granara de Willink) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a small polyphagous sucking pest that attacks several genera of host plants. Chemical pesticides used at very high costs, have not given more than a temporary relief to farmers and not provided the same level of control in field conditions as the parasitoids. Also, repeated spraying resulted in toxicity hazards and pollution. Classical biological control was identified as an important pest management practice for the papaya mealybug P. marginatus. The introduced encyrtid parasitoid, Acerophagus papayae Noyes and Schauff, effectively controlled papaya mealy bugs. The present work focuses on understanding the mechanism of local adaptations in the parasitoid A. papayae and its host papaya mealybug P. marginatus system. The volatiles of host plant has been analysed for their role in mediating parasitization and the behavioural ecology of parasitoid to detect different levels of attractiveness to P. marginatus on several host plants. This research has been focused on plant mediated tropic interactions between papaya mealybug and its parasitoid A. papayae.

O autorze

The author Dr. R. Nisha, working as Research Associate at Regional Plant Quarantine Station, Chennai. She had been worked as Assistant Professor (Agrl.Entomology) at Imayam Institute of Agriculture & Technology for past three years. She has published six International articles and twelve National articles and five popular articles so far.