Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:35:19.220Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Estimates of natural mortality related to environmental factors in a population of citrus red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Dias-pididae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

P. R. Atkinson
P. R. Atkinson
Affiliation:
Swaziland Citrus Board, Mbabane, Swaziland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Biological control of Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.) is notoriously difficult in the hot lowlands of Swaziland and the eastern Transvaal. In view of resistance to organophosphates in populations elsewhere in the Transvaal, there is renewed interest in the commercial application of integrated pest management on citrus. Accordingly, data from a population of A. aurantii on orange trees in the Swaziland lowlands were examined to answer questions about biological control of the pest in this climatic region. Sections of the population on twigs and fruit were treated separately, and that on the leaves was ignored as not contributing much to the economy of the whole. The infestation of fruit each year depended largely on the size of the infestation on twigs in November (early summer), when crawlers from twigs first colonised the fruitlets. Mortality on twigs was estimated, checked from predictions of the recruitment rate and related to indices of climatic and biotic factors; 73% of the variation was described by mean predator intensity, mean minimum temperature and excess rainfall above the long-term mean, all measured over the generation time. On fruit, 32% of the variation in mortality was described by mean maximum saturation deficit in the generation time, the relationship being inverse. The dryness of the lowland climate appeared to be its favourable characteristic. The population appeared to be regulated about a mean level which was unacceptably high. Predators were the most effective natural enemies, probably followed by parasitoids (Aphytis spp.) on fruit. Endoparasitoids were probably ineffective.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 73 , Issue 2 , June 1983 , pp. 239 - 258
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdelrahman, I. (1974). The effect of extreme temperatures on California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), and its natural enemies. — Aust. J. Zool. 22, 203–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, P. R. (1977). Preliminary analysis of a field population of citrus red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), and the measurement and expression of stage duration and reproduction for life tables. — Bull. ent. Res. 67, 65–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, P. R.(1983). Environmental factors associated with fluctuations in the numbers of natural enemies of a population of citrus red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). — Bull. ent. Res. 73.Google Scholar
Bedford, E. C. G. (1968). The biological control of red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.), on citrus in South Africa. — J. ent. Soc. sth. Afr. 31, 1–15.Google Scholar
Bedford, E. C. G. (1980). Integrated control of citrus pests successful in the Lowveld. — Subtropica 1, 15–17.Google Scholar
Birch, L. C. (1948). The intrinsic rate of natural increase of an insect population. — J. Anim. Ecol. 17, 15–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bursell, E. (1974). Environmental aspects: temperature.— pp. 1–41 in Rockstein, M. (Ed.).The physiology of Insecta. Vol.II. — 2nd edn, 568 pp. New York, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Catling, H. D. (1969). The bionomics of the South African citrus psylla, Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio) (Homoptera: Psyllidae) 1. The influence of the flushing rhythm of citrus and factors which regulate flushing. — J. ent. Soc. sth. Afr. 32, 191–208.Google Scholar
Catling, H. D. (1971 a). Studies on the citrus red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.), and its biological control in Swaziland. — J. ent. Soc. sth. Afr. 34, 393–411.Google Scholar
Catling, H. D. (1971 b). Biological control of red scale. Are we exploiting this approach sufficiently? — South African Citrus Journal no. 450, 5–9.Google Scholar
Gossard, T. W. & Jones, R. E. (1977). The effects of age and weather on egg-laying in Pieris rapae L. — J. appl. Ecol. 14, 65–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laughlin, R. (1965). Capacity for increase: a useful population statistic. — J. Anim. Ecol. 34, 77–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaren, I. W. (1971). A comparison of the population growth potential in California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), and yellow scale, A. citrina (Coquillet), on citrus. — Aust. J. Zool. 19, 189–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moran, P. A. P. (1950). Some remarks on animal population dynamics. — Biometrics 6, 250–258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, R. F. (1959). Single-factor analysis in population dynamics. — Ecology 40, 580–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murdoch, G. (1970). Soils and land capability in Swaziland. — 360 pp. Swaziland, Ministry of Agriculture Publication.Google Scholar
Nel, J. J. C., De Lange, L. & Van Ark, H. (1979). Resistance of citrus red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.), to insecticides. — J. ent. Soc. sth. Afr. 42, 275–281.Google Scholar
Ricker, W. E. (1954). Stock and recruitment. — J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 11, 559–623.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, D. (1979). Tsetse population dynamics and distribution: a new analytical approach. — J. Anim. Ecol. 48, 825–849.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T. R. E. (1978). Ecological methods with particular reference to the study of insect populations. —524 pp. London, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Southwood, T. R. E., Murdie, G., Yasuno, M., Tonn, R. J. & Reader, P. M. (1972). Studies on the life dudget of Aedes aegypti in Wat Samphaya. Bangkok, Thailand. — Bull. Wld Hlth Org. 46, 211–226.Google ScholarPubMed
Tashiro, H. & Beavers, J. B. (1968). Growth and development of the California red scale, Aonidiella auranta. — Ann. ent. Soc. Am. 61, 1009–1014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wentzel, P. C. (1970). Die massateling van die rooidopluis, Aonidiella aurantÜ, (Mss-kell). — Phytophylactica 2, 195–198.Google Scholar
Willard, J. R. (1972 a). Studies on rates of development and reproduction of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantÜ (Mask.) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on citrus. — Aust. J. Zool. 20, 37–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willard, J. R. (1972 b). The rhythm of emergence of crawlers of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantÜ (Mask.), (Homoptera: Diaspididae). — Aust. J. Zool. 20, 49–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willard, J. R. (1973). Survival of crawlers of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Mask.) (Homoptera: Diaspididae). — Aust. J. Zool. 21, 567–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williamson, M. (1972). The analysis of biological populations. — 180 pp. London, Edward Arnold.Google Scholar