Articles
Orthops palus (Heteroptera: Miridae), a major pest of mango in Reunion Island
Article number
1183_42
Pages
291 – 296
Language
English
Abstract
Orthops palus (Heteroptera: Miridae) is a major pest of mango in Reunion Island.
Larvae and adults suck the sap of inflorescences thereby desiccating them entirely.
Severe damage and the rapid spread of the pest are often reported.
Little knowledge is currently available on O. palus. To assess the abundance, distribution and host range of O. palus, extensive sampling of different potential hosts was conducted at Reunion Island. O. palus was found to be the main mirid species present on mango inflorescences and is responsible for most of the losses caused by mirid species.
This polyphagous pest is widely distributed on the island and is not limited to mango alone but has a broad range of hosts (more than 10 species) including many plants of agronomic importance such as avocado, jujube and lychee.
Our results reveal the requirement to enforce an agroecological approach for pest management of O. palus populations with the necessity of accounting for landscape characteristics such as surrounding crops.
Larvae and adults suck the sap of inflorescences thereby desiccating them entirely.
Severe damage and the rapid spread of the pest are often reported.
Little knowledge is currently available on O. palus. To assess the abundance, distribution and host range of O. palus, extensive sampling of different potential hosts was conducted at Reunion Island. O. palus was found to be the main mirid species present on mango inflorescences and is responsible for most of the losses caused by mirid species.
This polyphagous pest is widely distributed on the island and is not limited to mango alone but has a broad range of hosts (more than 10 species) including many plants of agronomic importance such as avocado, jujube and lychee.
Our results reveal the requirement to enforce an agroecological approach for pest management of O. palus populations with the necessity of accounting for landscape characteristics such as surrounding crops.
Publication
Authors
M. Atiama, H. Delatte, C. Simiand, M.-L. Moutoussamy, T. Schmitt, B. Béziat, J.-P. Deguine
Keywords
bug, host range, inflorescence, polyphagy, avocado, jujube, lychee
Groups involved
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