A survey of mealybugs infesting South-Brazilian wine vineyards

• Main Authors: Wilson J. Morandi Filho, Vitor C. Pacheco-da-Silva, Maria C. Granara de Willink, Ernesto Prado, Marcos Botton
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Entomologia 2015-07-01
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Entomologia
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0085562615000710

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are important pests of the grapevine Vitis spp. and are responsible for direct and indirect damage to production. The main mealybug species present in wine grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) in Southern Brazil were identified and their incidence evaluated. Bunch-samples (n = 50) from 131 vineyards located in the Serra Gaúcha Region (RS) of Brazil were analyzed at harvest, and the occurrence of mealybugs in the roots was evaluated at the time of eradication of plants for replanting. Mealybugs were reared in laboratory until adulthood for species determination. The species Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell, 1983), Dysmicoccus sp., Planococcus citri (Risso, 1813), Pl. minor (Maskell, 1897), Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret, 1875) and Pseudococcus sp. were identified in bunches. Dysmicoccus sp., D. umbambae Granara de Willink, 2009, Pl. citri and Pseudococcus sp. were found in the roots. Pl. citri (31.4%) and Dysmicoccus sp. (22.7%) were the most common species found in wine grape bunches in the Serra Gaúcha Region. Keywords: Dysmicoccus, Planococcus, Pseudococcus, Scale insects, Vitis spp.