New report of insect pests and their natural enemies in pomegranate

Different insect pests and their natural enemies got identified and reported for the first time in pomegranate. Among the borer pests, shot hole borer (Xylosandrus compactus) and hairy caterpillars (Olene mendosa, Somena scintillans and Euproctis fraterna) have been reported for the first time in pomegranate. Gummosis has also been reported for the first time in pomegranate on 5 to 10 per cent plant from orchards in Solapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra. A new species of shot hole borer, X. compactus was suspected to be associated with gummosis for which, confirmatory tests could be carried out to find out its role for its effective control. Among sucking pests, vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus, Cottony cushion scale, Icerya aegyptiaca, and Brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidium are first report on pomegranate from Maharashtra.