Shahed University

Seasonal population fluctuations of white peach scale, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Hemimptera: Diaspididae) and its parasitation in kiwi orchards of northern Iran

Amir Hossein Toorani | Habib Abbasipour | Jabber Karimi | Alireza Askarianzadeh

URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=116775
Date :  2019/08/29
Publish in :    Biologia (Poland)
DOI :  https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00347-3
Link :  https://link.springer.com/journal/11756/onlineFirst/page/1
Keywords :Kiwi .Whitepeachscale .Seasonalpopulationdynamics .Parasitoids .Iran

Abstract :
The economic importance of white peach scale (WPS) Pseudaulacaspis pentagona Targioni-Tozzetti, 1886 (Diaspididae: Hemiptera) is ascribed to its high reproductive potential. The number of generations per year varies in different places of the world. Seasonal population fluctuations of different life stages of WPS were studied from April 30, 2015, to April 29, 2017, on kiwi fruit trees in the Mazandaran province of Iran. In the first year the total population of P. pentagona had five peaks: April, June, August, October, and November. In the second year, the total population of P. pentagona had four peaks: May, August, October and November. The pre-adult stages had four high infestation periods in May, July, August, and October in the first seasonandalsointhesecondyearoccurredonMay,Jun,SeptemberandOctober.Thegravidfemalesbegantoappearandlaying of eggs started from late March in both years. The maximum period of infestation was reached during May. Significant differences were observed among samples in different directions of the tree and most pests were found in the South. The rate ofparasitizationalsovariedwiththemonthfrom12to84onbranchesofkiwifruits.Thehighestpercentageoftheparasitation was observed in North and West. Thus, the present results may help in planning a successful control program of WPS on kiwi fruit trees in the Mazandaran province of Iran.