INFLUENCE OF HOST-PLANT ON THE MANGO MEALYBUG, RASTROCOCCUS-INVADENS

Life history traits of the mango mealybug, Rastrococcus invadens Willi ams, were compared between two neighboring mango trees (Mangifera indi ca L.), one of which was heavily infested and the other slightly infes ted. On the infested tree, mealybug survival was high because of good feeding conditions and low escape. The pre-reproductive period of meal ybugs on the heavily infested tree was shorter and total offspring pro duction higher than that of mealybugs on the uninfested tree. This sig nificantly affected the intrinsic rate of natural increase and explain ed the observed differences in population densities among the trees. T he results obtained from an additional experiment using juvenile clone s from the same two mango varieties, in which environmental factors we re uniform, demonstrated the importance of plant genotype on mealybug size and survival.