The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus has been on the move since it was found in Mexico in the 1955 but described in 1992. It has spread to the Caribbean, Florida, and South America, in the 1990s; Pacific in the early 2000; and it was found in Indonesia and Sri Lanka (2007), India (2008), Bangladesh (2009), Ghana and Benin (2009), Re Union Island (2010), Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines (2010). In a recent visit to Lahore, Pakistan, Mr. Reiz Mahmood and Mr. G.S. Solangi of CABI South Asia station, Rawalpindi, Pakistan informed me that the papaya mealybug has established in Karachi area of Sindh province in Pakistan. Both Sri Lanka and India have introduced the parasitoids Acerophagus papayae, Anagyrus loecki, and Pseudleptomastix mexicana for control of papaya mealybug. The parasitoid Acerophagus papayae has established fortuitously in some countries in Southeast Asia. It is possible that the parasitoids introduced in India may spread to Pakistan. In case that does not happen, it would be advisable for the Government of Pakistan to consider introduction of the parasitoids for control of the papaya mealybug.
R. Muniappan
Program Director, IPM CRSP
Virginia Tech
Email: rmuni@vt.edu
Global Plant Protection News 
[…] Papaya Mealybug on the Move: Now in Pakistan International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences, 15 March 2011 […]
Papaya mealybug as an unidentified specie provides considerable loss at coastal areas of District Malir, Karachi and Vinder side at District Lasbella, Balochistan surveyed by a responsible person who does his Ph.D research over this menace pest. Mr. Bhugro Mal working as scientific officer at CARS, SARC, PARC, Karachi and continued his research work over different aspects for his Ph.D thesis since 2007-08. He has also submitted project to ALP, PARC, Islamabad to work over hardly to save the farmer fields at coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan Pakistan. Hopefully, this work will be fruitful to solve the mealybug problem held at in the field of papaya crop. Basic guide lines are provided by Hakim Ali Sahito, cotton mealybug specialist.
From, Hakim Ali Sahito, (PhD), Entomology
Entomologist, (Sindh),
CABI, Southeast Asia and West Asia,
Rawalpindh, Pakistan.
The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is causing serious damage to papaya orchards, since out break of this pest in Pakistan first time occurred in 2008. Papaya is cultivated in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan only therefore, this pest problem is only restricted to coastal areas of Pakistan. No research work is carried out yet 2012 in Pakistan probably because I have initiated survey on this pest in Malir district of Karachi. I had collected a huge population of parasitoids from mealybug and have got identified from USA with help of my PhD supervisor Prof. Dr. G.H. Abro from a cooperating scientist Dr. R. Muniappan identified by the USDA Entomologist. The main parasitoid is Acerophagus papayae Noyes & Schauff: Encyrtidae (Originally from Mexico introduced to different countries of papaya mealybug control).
There were four hyperparasitoids:
a) Pteromalidae: Pachyneuron sp. – a hyperparasitoid
b) Encyrtidae: Close to Gahaniella (hyperparasitoid)
c) Eulophidae / Tetrastichinae: Aprostocetus sp. – probably a hyperparasitoid
d) Aphelinidae: Marietta sp. – a hyperparasitoid
Suppose Gov’t of Pakistan (HEC / PSF) provide any project hopefully we will start detailed study. Our studies on cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis indicated that Chrysoperla carnea, among coccinelid predators, Brumus suturalis are effective predators. Therefore, these predators would be evaluated against papaya mealybug. My preliminary studies indicated that parasitoid, Acerophagous papayae (Noyes and Schauff) was found parasiting on papaya mealybug. The detailed experiments should be conducted under laboratory and field conditions on its occurrence, distribution, host stage preference, parasitization efficiency, biology etc. Besides, this parasitoid will be mass reared under laboratory conditions and released first under field cagae and then under field conditions for population management of papaya mealybug by which papaya orchards be saved. Spear headed this task for the mass multiplication and supplying this parasitoid and predators to the growers of papaya orchards, which lead to the successful biological control of papaya mealybug.
From, Hakim Ali Sahito, (PhD), Entomology
SAU, Tandojam – Sindh.
Email: hakimsahito@yahoo.com
Ph#. + 92-0301-3515723
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