The mealybug Formicococcus polysperes Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is here reported for the first time attacking ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae)) in Meghalaya State of India. Plants infested by the sap-sucking nymphs and adults of this mealybug turned yellow within 1 to 2 weeks and then started drying from the tip downwards. Infested rhizomes shriveled and eventually dried out. Fields and a nearby storage facility experienced up to 48% crop loss due to the infestation. In this paper we describe the plant damage and the morphological characteristics of F. polysperes from Meghalaya.
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Entomological News
Vol. 125 • No. 3
October 2015
Vol. 125 • No. 3
October 2015
Meghalaya
Nadia
rhizome
Ri-bhoi
Zingiber officinale Roscoe