Articles
Morphological characterization of Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) present in Morocco using scanning electron microscopy
Article number
1452_31
Pages
233 – 238
Language
English
Abstract
Dactylopius opuntiae is a sap-sucking insect pest that has caused severe damage to cactus crops across Morocco.
First detected in 2014 in the Sidi Bennour region, approximately 120 km northwest of Marrakech, this pest has rapidly spread and decimated Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) plantations, resulting in significant economic losses.
Due to the challenges in morphological identification of mealybugs and the importance of accurate identification, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has proven to be an effective tool for reliable and detailed characterization.
This study presents the first SEM-based morphological identification of D. opuntiae infesting cactus plants in Morocco.
First detected in 2014 in the Sidi Bennour region, approximately 120 km northwest of Marrakech, this pest has rapidly spread and decimated Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) plantations, resulting in significant economic losses.
Due to the challenges in morphological identification of mealybugs and the importance of accurate identification, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has proven to be an effective tool for reliable and detailed characterization.
This study presents the first SEM-based morphological identification of D. opuntiae infesting cactus plants in Morocco.
Authors
A. El Finti, I. Touaf, O. Bouihate, I. Bachti, R. Ezzahiri, K. Lagram, M.A. Serghini, A. El Mousadik, R. El Boullani
Keywords
cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), morphological parameters, cactus
Groups involved
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