The Determination Mealybug Species and Natural Enemies in Pitaya Greenhouses in the Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Pitaya, Hylocereus spp. (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae) has been one of the new species cultivated in Türkiye in recent years. There are many limiting factors, including pests, diseases and weeds, to decrease the yield and fruit quality in pitaya (dragon fruit) areas in Türkiye. In addition, the pests of pitaya is not fully studied therefore this research has been conducted to determine mealybug species in pitaya greenhouses in Türkiye. The present study aimed to determine mealybug species and its natural enemies (parasitoids, and predator insects) in pitaya greenhouses in Adana, Mersin, and Antalya between 2021 and 2022. According to results of this study, 2 different mealybug species was determined; Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley 1898, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, 1923 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in pitaya greenhouses. Moreover one parasitoid (Aenasius arizonensis Girault (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), and two different predatory insects from 2 different orders and 2 different families (Chrysoperla carnea Stephens (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Nephus includens Kirsch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were detected within this research. These two invasive mealybug species have wide spectrum host plants and may cause economically important damages to pitaya, if natural enemies cannot work successfully or control strategies do not applied properly in pitaya greenhouses.

Keywords

• Pitaya
• Mealybug
• Natural enemies
• Parasitoid
• Pests

References

1. Aga, T.M., Tambe, V.J., Nagrare, V.S., & Naikwadi, B. (2016). Parasitoid, Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae): Its biology, morphometrics, host stage preference and use in biological control. Journal of Biological Control, 30(2):91-98.
2. Attia, A.R., & Awadallah, K.T. (2016). Predators, Parasitoids and Hyperparasitoids associated with the Cotton Mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) infesting different host plants at Giza Region. Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology, 9(4):97-103.
3. Bora, T., & Karaca, İ. (1970). Kültür bitkilerinde hastalığın ve zararın ölçülmesi. Ege Üniversitesi Yardımcı Ders Kitabı, Yayın No: 167, E.Ü. Mat., Bornova-İzmir, 8s (in Turkish).
4. Chen H.Y., He, L.F., Zheng, C.H., Li, P., Yi, Q.H., & Xu, Z.F. (2011). Survey on the natural enemies of mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from Guangdong and Hainan, China. Journal of Environmetal Entomology, 33:269-272.
5. Choi, K.S., Yang, J.Y., Park, Y.M., Kim, S., Choi, H., Lyu, D., & Kim, D.S. (2013). Pest lists and their damages on mango, dragon fruit and atemoya in Jeju, Korea. Korean Journal of Applied Entomology, 52(1):45-51.
6. Çalışkan, A.F., (2015). Adana İli Park ve Peyzaj Alanlarında Zararlı Olan Sternorrhyncha (Hemiptera) (Aleyrodidae, Coccoidea, Aphididae) Türlerinin Saptanması. PhD Thesis, Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana (in Turkish).
7. Çalışkan, A.F., Hayat, M., Ulusoy, M.R., & Kaydan, M.B. (2016). Parasitoids (hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of an invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Entomology, 40(2):133-148.
8. Çalışkan-Keçe, A.F., Kahya, D., Hayat, M., & Ulusoy, M.R. (2018). A new record of a parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of an invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from Turkey. Türkiye Biyolojik Mücadele Dergisi, 9(1):31-37.

9. Duncan, R.E., Carrillo, D., & Peña, J.E. (2021). Pitaya (Dragon Fruit) (Hylocereus undatus) pests and beneficial insects. EDIS, 1:13-13.
10. Eusebio, J.E., & Alaban, M.C.S. (2018). Current status of dragon fruit and its prospects in the Philippines. In Country report, dragon fruitregional network initiation workshop, April 23–24, 2018. Taipei, Taiwan.
11. García Morales, M., Denno, B.D., Miller, D.R., Miller, G.L., Ben-Dov, Y., & Hardy, N.B. (2016). ScaleNet: A literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics. Database. doi: 10.1093/database/bav118. http://scalenet.info.
12. Hanchinal, S.G., Patil, B.V., Bheemanna, M., & Hosamani, A.C. (2010). Population dynamics of mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley and it's natural enemies on Bt cotton. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 23(1):137-139.
13. Hayat, M. (2009). Description of a new species of Aenasius Walker (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), parasitoid of the mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in India. Biosystematica, 3: 21-25.
14. Ibrahim, S.S. (2018). Study on cotton host plants of mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley) and efficiency release the predator Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) for its controlling on cotton plants in Egypt. Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology, 9(3):247-252.
15. Kahya, D., Ulusoy, M.R., & Çalışkan Keçe, A.F., (2018). Doğu Akdeniz Bölgesi’nde Pamuk unlubiti (Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae))'nin doğal düşmanlarının belirlenmesi. Türkiye VII. Bitki Koruma Kongresi 14 - 17 November 2018, Muğla, Turkey.
16. Kahya, D. (2020). Pamuk unlubiti, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) ile parazitoiti Aenasius arizonensis Girault (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in bazı biyolojik özellikleri üzerinde araştırmalar. PhD Thesis, Çukurova University, Adana.
17. Kahya, D., Çalışkan-Keçe A.F., & Ulusoy, M.R. (2021). Determining some biological parameters of Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on cotton mealybug and the rate of parasitism in field conditions. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 45(8):416-424.
18. Kaydan, M.B., Erkılıç, L., & Ülgentürk, S. (2012). An invasive mealybug species Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae) introduced recently into Turkey. Türkiye Entomoloji Bülteni, 2(2):67-74.
19. Kaydan, M.B., Çalışkan, A.F., & Ulusoy, M.R., (2013). New record of invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Turkey. EPPO Bulletin, 43(1):169-171.
20. Kaydan, M.B., Hayat, M., Çalışkan, A.F., & Ulusoy, M.R. (2016). New record of a parasitoid (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of the Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from Turkey. Journal of theEntomological ResearchSociety, 18(3):107-112.
21. Kosztarab, M., & Kozár, F. (1988). Scale insects of Central Europe. Academia Kiado, Budapest 456.
22. Khan, H.A.A., Sayyed, A.H., Akram, W., Razald, S., & Ali, M. (2012). Predatory potential of Chrysoperla carnea and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri larvae on different stages of the mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis: A threat to cotton in South Asia. Journal of Insect Science, 12(1):1-12.
23. Mani, M., & Shivaraju, C. (2014). Mealybugs and Their Management in Agricultural and Horticultural Crops. Springer (India) Pvt Ltd, London.
24. Mossadegh, M.S., Vafaei, S., Farsi, A., Zarghami, S., Esfandiari, M., Dehkordi, F.S., & Seyfollahi, F. (2015). Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae), its natural enemies and host plants in Iran. In Proceedings of the 1st Iranian International Congress of Entomology (pp. 159-167).
25. Nurhafizhah, A.Y., Widians, J.A., & Budiman, E. (2020). Dragon fruit pest identification expert system. Jurti, 4(1):11-18.
26. Rezeki, M.S., Harahap, I.S., Sartiami, D., Irmansyah, I., & Watson, G.W. (2021). Identification key to nymphal and adult mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) associated with dragon fruits in Indonesia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 22(8):3113-3118.
27. Sartiami, D., Saptayanti, N., Syahputra, E., & Mardiasih, W.P. (2019). Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Associated with dragon fruit in Indonesia. In International conference and the 10th congress of the Entomological Society of Indonesia. Atlantis Press (pp. 29-34).
28. Soydal, A., Gübbük, H., & Balkıç, R. (2019). Pitaya (Hylocereus spp.) çeliklerinin köklenmesi üzerine bakteri konsantrasyonlarının etkileri. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences, 32(3):275-280.
29. Suroshe, S.S., Gautam, R.D., & Babasaheb, B.F. (2013). Natural enemy complex associated with the mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) infesting different host plants in India. Journal of Biological Control, 204-210.
30. Tanwar, R.K., Jeyakumar, P., Singh, A., Jafri, A.A., & Bambawale, O.M. (2011). Survey for cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley) and its natural enemies. Journal of Environmental Biology, 32(3):381-4.
31. Uygun, N., (1981). Türkiye Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) faunası üzerinde taksonomik araştırmalar, Adana: 1981, Bilimsel Araştırma ve İnceleme Tezleri: 48, Ç.Ü. Ziraat Fakültesi Yayınları: 157 (in Turkish).