The Cotton Mealybug Is Spreading along the Mediterranean: First Pest Detection in Italian Tomatoes.

ABSTRACT: The cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an extremely polyphagous invasive pest that can cause serious damages to cultivated plants. The pest is native to America but invaded Asian and Mediterranean countries during the last decades. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., Solanaceae) is an economic relevant crop worldwide and its production can be threatened by numerous insect pests including P. solenopsis. We recorded for the first time P. solenopsis in association with tomato in greenhouse crops and urban landscapes in Sicily (Italy) during the fall season in 2020. The species was identified as P. solenopsis based on the morphological characters and DNA amplification of an ≈800 bp portion of mitochondrial cytochr

SUBMITTER: Ricupero M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8396508 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature