The Current Status of White Mango Scales at Uke, the Area of First Report in Ethiopia.
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Date
2018-08-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Tropical and sub-tropical fruits make a significant direct contribution to the subsistence of small–scale farmers by providing locally generate nutritious food that is often available when other agricultural crops have not yet been harvested.
Mango (Mangifera indica L) is the third most important fruit crop in the tropics and sub-tropics following Citrus and Banana. It is consumed as a fresh fruit and different form of preparations for its high contents of sugars, vitamins, minerals, protein and known to play a vital role in export and import business. Mango suffers from several diseases and insect pests and its trunk, branches, leaves, petiole, flower and fruit are attacked at all stages of its development. In Uke mango is also produced for Domestic consumption and export market and its production is constrained by infestation of white mango scale (Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead) which was identified in 2010 from Guto Gida district from mango orchard located at Loko village in East Wollega Administrative Zone of Western Ethiopia. It spread and has become a threat to mango production in the kebele and affected economic benefits of mango farmers. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution, severity status and its impact on farmers’ income across district and kebeles were there are mango plantations. From the current study, white mango scale was the crucial mango production limiting factor in East Wollega because of its high rate of dispersal in all mango plantations in the vicinity. The data was collected randomly from January 15/5/2010 to June 15/10/2010 from the orchard of Green focus and Questionnaire was distributed for purposively sampled population. The result of study showed that high population peaks of WMS was recorded and distributed from its original point with high and very high infestations across district and kebeles in km. Most mango grower farmers used cultural methods to control the pests. The current study concluded that WMS was spreading very fast across district and kebeles from it first locus, and it is recommended that the infestation on mango can be reduced by the use of farmers indigenous knowledge of pest management practice.
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Keywords
Mangifera Indica L, White Mango Scale, Distribution, Severity Status, Management Practice