Coccus hesperidum (L.) (Hemiptera: Coccidae): Pest of chayote, Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. in Belgrade

Abstract

Numerous colonies of the brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum (L.) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) were registered on chayote, Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. (Cucurbitaceae) in Belgrade area, locality Zemun. Damages were caused by all development stages of scale which feed by sucking plant sap from leaves. In the case of high infestation, scales feed on fruits. As the result of scale feeding, numerous chlorotic spots occur, whicher merge into bright strips usually located by leaf nerves. In case of high level infestation, bright stripes cover the entire leaf surface which leads to discoloration of the leaves. Furthermore, brown soft scales produce large amounts of honeydew where sooty moulds develop, causing reduction of the photosynthesis and transpiration, as well as aesthetic appearance of the plant. This paper presents data on Coccus hesperidum morph ological-biological characteristics, as one of the chayote pests.

Na jednosemenoj tikvi, Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. (Cucurbitaceae) u Beogradu - lokalitet Zemun, registrovane su brojne kolonije smeđe sočne štitaste vaši, Coccus hesperidum (L.) (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Oštećenja prouzrokuju svi razvojni stadijumi vaši, koji se hrane isisavanjem sokova pre svega iz listova, a pri jakom napadu i iz plodova. Usled ishrane, na listovima se uočavaju simptomi u vidu brojnih hlorotičnih pega koje se spajaju u svetle trake, najčešće duž nerava a u slučaju jakog napada, zahvataju skoro celu površinu, dovodeći do diskoloracije listova. Pored toga, na mednoj rosi koju luči ova vaš, razvijaju se gljive čađavice koje ometaju fotosintezu i transpiraciju kod biljke i narušavaju njen estetski izgled. U radu se daju podaci o osnovnim morfološko-biološkim karakteristikama Coccus hesperidum, kao jednoj od štetočina jednosemene tikve u našoj zemlji.