Effectiveness of Some Pesticides in the Control of the Mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis

Abstract

This study was implemented in 2022. The samples were collected from the ornamental plant Hibiscus rosa- sinenis in the garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Iraq. The results obtained revealed that 96.16% of the plants were infested with mealybugs in July, and 90.22% in August, with minimum infestation in January (25.00%). It also had the highest adult and nymph densities in July, measuring 40.60 and 36.11 insects/inch², respectively. The lowest number of nymphs and adults were recorded in January, at 2.55 and 8.40 insects/inch², respectively. The results of the pesticide spraying showed that the mealybug nymphs’ mortality rate for the insecticides deltamethrin, lambada-cyhalothrin and imidacloprid were 67.73, 75.75 and 77.75% and the mortality rate of adult insects was 65.83, 69.41 and 74.82%, respectively, when treated with pesticides by the irrigation method. The average mortality rate of nymphs was 50.19, 52.25 and 56.19% and the average mortality rate of adults was 47.12, 51.64 and 55.67%, respectively, when the pesticides were applied by the irrigation method.

Keywords:

Phenacoccus solenopsis, deltamethrin, lambada-cyhalothrin, imidacloprid.