Pest menace cause for less fruits

Harshini PERERA

Do you know why papaws less in fruit stalls these days?

It is due to the cultivation in certain areas being badly affected by a harmful pest, which is commonly known as Papaya Mealy Bug and scientifically as Paracoccus marginatus.

The pest was not recorded as harmful until August 1998 was found in Mexico and Central America.

A research officer of Entomology Department of Horticulture Research and Development Centre, D. Galaniha told the Sunday Observer that the species are rapidly spreading across 25 countries including Sri Lanka, within 13 years since it invaded Caribbean Islands in 1995. It was first recorded from Colombo and Gampaha districts but shows a rapid spread to the other parts of the country.

Therefore, this pest has spread upto Kegalle and Kurunegala while it was recently reported from Polonnaruwa and Dambulla as well.

It depends on a range of 60 host plants. The main host is understood as papaw, manioc and araliya. Okra, brinjal, tomato, chilli, winged bean and kangkung were also recognised as minor hosts.

Moreover, some plants like jak, bread fruit, citrus, mango, guava, sour sop, banana, ambarella, katuru murunga and japan araliya, jetropa, hibiscus, marygold, jasmine and many other flower plants as well.

She said that an infected tree can be identified when the parts of the tree especially leaves are covered with white cotton like masses.

A colony of the bug can be seen like white cotton cluster. The female being is white and has a fleshy body covered with white waxy coating.

They have a short waxy filament around the body. An adult female is large in size and has a yellow cotton like Ovisac (an egg-containing capsule). It will take around one month to mature the nymphs.