Bioefficacy of Some Insecticides against Mango Shoot Gall Psylla, Apsylla cistellata Buckton (Psyllidae: Homoptera)

Mango is attacked by various insect pests among which mango shoot gall psylla, Apsylla cistellata Buckton (Psyllidae: Homoptera) is the most important one. Nymphs initially fed from midrib of leaf and then entered into the gall which they formed on the emerging vegetative buds resulting in total failure of such buds to put forth inflorescence properly. Repeated spraying without proper knowledge on the life cycle did not give good result in managing the pest. Hence, application of insecticides had to be synchronized with the emergence of nymphs. In the present investigation studies on bio-efficacy of seven insecticides against mango shoot gall psylla revealed that lowest number of galls were recorded per 6 leaves on the twigs when treated with profenofos (no galls observed) followed by acephate (0.33 galls/6 leaves), thiamethoxam (0.66 galls/6 leaves), and imidacloprid (2.33 galls/6 leaves).