Evaluation of some plant oil against crawler stage of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

The present study reports the insecticidal activity of three plant oils viz., neem (Azadirachta indica), pongamia (Pongamia pinnata) and jatropha (Jatropha curcas)seed oils against the crawler stage of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus. Among the three plant oils evaluated, neem seed oil was found to be most effective, while the jatropha seed oil was least effective.