Papaya mealybugParacoccus marginatuswilliams & granara de willink (Hemiptera: pseudococcidae), acurrent threat to agriculture -A review

Papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus assumed the major pest status in India in 2009 because of its severe damage to economically important crops. It has a wide host range of over 60 species of plants. It infested the veins and the midribs of the older leaves, tender leaves and fruits and turns them yellow and later dry up. Heavy mealybug populations produce a copious amount of honey dew, which causes black sooty mould. It reduces the fruit quality and market value of this crop. Females are light greenish yellow in colour whereas an adult male are deep reddish in colour and bears one pair of wing. It takes almost 19–30 days to complete a generation and there is 11 to 13 generation per year. This pest is currently controlled using chemical, biological and cultural control techniques in an integrated pest-management system.