All India Network Project on Agricultural Acarology, Department of Agricultural Entomology, B.C. Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India
In the changing agricultural scenario mites are gaining importance as pest in most of the crops and banana is no exception. Experiment conducted at banana research unit of AICRP on tropical fruits, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mondouri, Nadia, West Bengal during 2005–06 revealed that banana was infested by seven phytophagous mite species viz., Oligonychus oryzae (Hirst), Panonychus ulmi (Koch) Tetranychus urticae Koch, Petrobia sp. Murray, Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geij.), Raoiella sp. Hirst, and Phyllocoptruta sp. Keifer. Among the seven species, O. oryzae was found to be most damaging producing conspicuous characteristic damage symptoms on the ventral surface of the banana leaves. Other species were found to be sporadic in occurrence without causing any significant damage. Therefore, detail study on seasonal occurrence and mode of feeding of the most damaging mite species – O. oryzae was conducted on the susceptible banana cultivar-Krishna vazai (AAB). Incidences of other six mite species were studied on five selected banana cultivars.
Banana, Exploration and identification, phytophagous mites, Oligonychus oryzae, Seasonal occurrence
