Flower pests of cashew, their seasonal incidence, damage and natural enemies
2022
Vanitha, K. | Raviprasad, T. N.
Different insect species attack cashew flowers during different phenological stages of the inflorescences from 511 to 619 of Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale of cashew phenology. A total of 67 species were documented during the investigation between 2016 and 2020. Among all pest groups, Lepidopterans were dominant comprising 32 species followed by Hemipterans with 22 species. The pests newly reported on cashew flowers include Perixera sp., Bombotelia jocosatrix, Gyrtona sp., Gatesclarkeana sp., Ascotis selenaria, Tinolius sp. besides two Cicadellids and two Lygaeid bugs. Damage symptoms, seasonal incidence and natural enemies were also documented for different pests. None of the weather factors had significant relationship with tea mosquito bug (TMB), B. jocosatrix and Lamida moncusalis. Though rainfall had no significant relationship with any of the pest population, number of rainy days had significant negative relationship with apple and nut borer (ANB) (-0.35), beetles (-0.35), thrips (-0.39) and mirids (-0.34). Parasitism by Trathala flavorbitalis on ANB was 15–30%, and by Apanteles sp. on Archips sp. was 20–25%. Reduction in nut set up to 47.06% has been recorded due to inflorescence pests in unsprayed trees compared to sprayed ones under mild infestation of TMB.
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