Seasonal Population Trends of Lepidosaphes beckii, Dialeurodes citri and its Parasitoids on Balady Orange Orchid in Egypt

Authors: Saleh AAA* , Hafez AA , Shalaby FF and Maghraby HM

DOI: 10.23880/oajar-16000380

Volume 9, Issue 4

Abstract

Field studies were conducted on the purple Lepidosaphes beckii(Newman), Dialeurodes citri(Ashmead), and their parasitoids in Sharkia Governorate over two consecutive years, from September 2022 to August 2024. During the first season, L. beckii exhibited two significant population peaks on leaves: the first in November 2022 with 1,205 individuals, followed by another in July 2023 with 1,416 individuals. In the second season, L. beckii again showed two annual peaks, with the highest count in October 2023 reaching 1,508 individuals, and another peak in June 2024 with 1,405 individuals. The highest parasitism rate of Aphytis lepidosaphes on L. beckii was recorded at 26.13% in July 2023 and 27.18% in July 2024. Meanwhile, D. citri experienced three population peaks during the first season, occurring in October 2022, April 2023, and August 2023, with counts of 61, 40, and 93 individuals per 125 leaves, respectively. In the second year, two peaks were noted, one in January and another in August 2024, with counts of 43 and 67 individuals per 125 leaves. The maximum parasitism rate of Encrasia lahorensis on D. citri was observed at 36.60% in November 2022 and 52.20% in October 2023.

Keywords: Lepidosaphes beckii; Dialeurodes citri; Parasitoids; Balady Orange Orchid

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