POMPEO SUMA , AGATINO RUSSO - Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agro-alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Catania, via S. Sofia 100, Catania;
JOSÉ CARLOS FRANCO - Technical University of Lisbon - Center of Forestry Studies, Portogallo.
Semiochemical-based tools for management of the scale insects of Citrus A brief revision of the insect synthetic semiochemicals applied in IPM of the scale insects infesting cultivated Citrus was undertaken. Although more than 300 species of scale insects are worldwide reported on Citrus, in Italy only 26 species were recorded as pests and less than 10 are key pests, such as the Citrus mealybug Planococcus citri (Risso), the California red scale Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) and the Oleander scale Aspidiotus nerii (Bouchè). Recently, an increased interest was shown by the scientific community on the possibility of managing these pests by means of behavioral modifying synthetic semiochemicals. For instance, the mating disruption technique applied in IPM strategies against the California red scale showed similar results to conventional oil sprays, offering growers an effective and more environmental sustainable control tactic than insecticides. Again, recent studies demonstrated that the application of a synthetic kairomone, is able to increase significantly the rate of parasitism of the citrus mealybug by the solitary endoparasitoid Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci. Considering that semiochemicals represent an environmentally friendly tool, they have potentially high interest in IPM control programs.
POMPEO SUMA , AGATINO RUSSO - Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agro-alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Catania, via S. Sofia 100, Catania;
JOSÉ CARLOS FRANCO - Technical University of Lisbon - Center of Forestry Studies, Portogallo.
Semiochemical-based tools for management of the scale insects of Citrus A brief revision of the insect synthetic semiochemicals applied in IPM of the scale insects infesting cultivated Citrus was undertaken. Although more than 300 species of scale insects are worldwide reported on Citrus, in Italy only 26 species were recorded as pests and less than 10 are key pests, such as the Citrus mealybug Planococcus citri (Risso), the California red scale Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) and the Oleander scale Aspidiotus nerii (Bouchè). Recently, an increased interest was shown by the scientific community on the possibility of managing these pests by means of behavioral modifying synthetic semiochemicals. For instance, the mating disruption technique applied in IPM strategies against the California red scale showed similar results to conventional oil sprays, offering growers an effective and more environmental sustainable control tactic than insecticides. Again, recent studies demonstrated that the application of a synthetic kairomone, is able to increase significantly the rate of parasitism of the citrus mealybug by the solitary endoparasitoid Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci. Considering that semiochemicals represent an environmentally friendly tool, they have potentially high interest in IPM control programs.