ISHS Acta Horticulturae 529: III International Pineapple Symposium
EFFECT OF PESTICIDAL PRE-TREATMENTS OF PINEAPPLE PLANTS ON THE INCIDENCE OF MEALYBUG WILT DISEASE |
| Author: | S.F.M. Sulaiman |
| Keywords: | pesticides, pretreatment, mealybug, wilt disease |
| Abstract:
The factors affecting field incidence of the pineapple mealybug wilt include climate, soil, agronomy and pineapple variety (Carter, 1973). The pink pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes Cockerell, causes the wilt disease. Experimental sites were selected in the intermediate low country (IL1) zone with red-yellow podzolic soil of a sandy alluvial nature and in the wet low country (WL3) zone with lateritic soil. The objective of this experiment was to test the efficacy of pretreatments against the incidence of pineapple mealybugs and attendant ants. Replicated experimental plots of pineapple in a randomised complete block design were established in both locations. Pineapple plants were subject to pesticidal (previously tested and selected) dip-treatments prior to planting, and treatments were: - T1 - Untreated Control, T2-Farmers' use, T3-Prothiofos (28 ml/10 L water) and T4-Profenofos (28 ml/10 L water). Pitfall traps were used to record ant/spider numbers. Mealybugs on the crop were counted. Data were collected weekly for a period of two years. Fruit yield was recorded. Mealybugs were incident and built-up in numbers only in the WL3 location where the soil type is lateritic. The mealybugs were dominantly tended by the ant Technomyrmex nr. albipes. Mean mealybug numbers per week per treatment were high in the farmer treated (228) and untreated control (256) plots and low in Prothiofos treated (52) and Profenofos treated (22) plots, although statistical analysis of mealybug numbers and fruit yield using the SAS system showed that the difference was not significant. Pretreatment of pineapple planting material is effective in reducing mealybug numbers and could protect the crop from incidence of the wilt disease. | |
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