Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20150 DoI No.: 10.5958/0974-8172.2020.00190.X

THE WEAVER ANT OECOPHYLLA SMARAGDINA (F.) IN BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF THE MANGO HOPPER IDIOSCOPUS CLYPEALIS LETHIERRY

MD Golam Ferdous* and Mahbuba Jahan1

Department of Agriculture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj 8100, Bangladesh 1Department of Entomology Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh *Email: [email protected] (corresponding author)

ABSTRACT

To manage the mango hopper Idioscopus clypealis Lethierry, efficacy of weaver antOecophylla smaragdina (F.) was evaluated in mango orchard. The results revealed that it is an effective biocontrol agent, and cause mortality or enables antixenosis behaviour. Presence of these ants led to more healthy inflorescence/ plant (77.00%) and also increased the fruit set/ inflorescence (11.25). The ants were found effective in reducing the incidence of hoppers during 2nd to 28th days after exposure.

Key words: Oecophylla smaragdina, Idioscopus clypealis, incidence, predator, adult, nymph, inflorescence, fruit setting, pymetrozine, limonene

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is cultivated in pymetrozine 50WG (Plenum), and untreated control Bangladesh since time immemorial and among delicious of three trees each, with two trees serving as buffer fruits, it holds 3rd position, with annual production zone. Ants were released in the weaver ants’ treatment of 1.86 lakh mt, with Rajshahi region having the trees and monitoring started once in a month. Trees in maximum area (BBS, 2004). This crop is attacked by all treatments received the same amount of fertilizers, pests (Tandon and Verghese, 1985), and 492 species nutrients and water. The counts of I. clypealis hoppers had been listed as occurring on mango (Butani, that survived on the leaves were made visually. The 1974). Among these, mango hoppers are serious, as pretreatment data were taken at one day before releasing had been first reported by Distant in 1908. It occurs of ants, and post treatment at 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28 throughout Bangladesh and causes reduction of fruiting after release of ants. Twigs were selected at random by 25-100% (FAO/ UNDP, 1989). To overcome these from east, west, north, south and top and observed. insecticides are used indiscriminately, and this leads to For counting the hoppers, 15 pairs of leaves from the death of pollinators and other beneficial insects. Weaver apex were observed in each twig, and number of adult ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are arboreal, which and nymph/ twig computed. Phytotoxicity (if any) build distinctive nests in trees, and it is used as food, was also observed. For counting the inflorescence medicine, and/or as biological control agents. There are with hopper incidence, ten inflorescences from ten two recognized species- Oecophylla longinoda Latreille twigs were observed. Data were analyzed statistically in Africa and O. smaragdina (F) in Asia, Australia, and after appropriate transformation and the means were the Western Pacific, and the latter is known from 21 separated using DMRT following Gomez and Gomez countries, including Bangladesh (Wetterer, 2017). The (1984) with MSTAT software. present study evaluates the efficacy of O. smaragdina as a biological control agent of the mango hopper RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Idioscopus clypealis (Lethierry) in mango orchards. Data obtained demonstrated that mango inflorescence MATERIALS AND METHODS without weaver ants or pymetrozine 50WG were heavily damaged by I. clypealis (33.00%); while those In the aqua orchard, an experiment was conducted treated with O. smaragdina and pymetrozine 50WG in mango trees. According to the similarity of tree size, revealed 23.00% and 15.00% damage, respectively; soil type and nutritional level nine trees were selected. consequently the number of fruits set/ inflorescence There were three treatments: weaver ant (O. smargdina), significantly increased to 11.25 and 14.22 in treatments 2 Indian Journal of Entomology 83(2021) Online published Ref. No. e20150 ** ** 5.23 4.12 2.01 1.55 0.00d 0.00d 72.99c 85.10b 86.26b 68.70 c 100.00a 100.00a 28 DAT ** ** 3.08 2.43 2.26 1.72 0.00d 0.00d 70.10c 77.39c 83.48b 86.73b 100.00a 100.00a 21 DAT ** ** 6.58 5.14 2.54 1.90 0.00d 0.00d 72.73c 80.61c 83.59b 87.80b 100.00a 100.00a 14 DAT ** ** 4.45 3.46 2.98 2.25 0.00d 0.00d 74.29c 79.70c 83.24b 85.28b 7 DAT 100.00a 100.00a ** ** 3.89 3.18 2.23 1.66 0.00d 0.00d 71.06c 93.84a 84.68c 95.55a 80.01b 89.03b % Reduction over control 4 DAT ** 2.10 0.564

** ** 14.22a 10.15c 11.25b 2.75 2.21 1.74 1.31 0.00d 0.00d inflorescence 73.54c 94.22a 81.95c 94.63a 81.78b 88.83b No. of fruit set/ 2 DAT I. clypealis ** ** 6.16 5.14 1.64 1.28 0.00d 0.00d 69.75c 92.62a 75.71c 93.19a 77.76b 86.91b 1 DAT ** ** ** 1.85 7.96 3.58 6.68 2.15c 1.45c 4.54b 0.00d 17.38 2.85b 0.00d 0.589 on mango hopper vs. 14.65a 10.55a 15.00c 33.00a 23.00b 28 DAT % infested Inflorescence ** ** on the incidence of 5.27 4.10 2.35c 1.32c 9.95a 4.26b 0.00d 0.551 2.25b 0.00d 0.275 14.25a 21 DAT ** ** 1.38 5.53 O. smaragdina 2.21c 1.25c 3.65b 0.00d 14.29 1.99b 0.00d 0.374 13.55a 10.25a ** 14 DAT inflorescence and fruit set 4.44 2.50 O. smaragdina 85.00a ** ** 77.00b 73.00b % Healthy 8.16 4.89 2.25c 1.45c 9.85a 3.45b 0.00d 0.778 2.00b 0.00d 0.322 Inflorescence 13.45a 7 DAT No./sweep/plant ** ** 4.34 1.11c 2.45c 3.56b 0.75d 0.966 10.17 1.55b 0.45d 0.289 Table 1. Effect of 1. Effect Table 12.25a 10.12a 4 DAT Table 2. Effect of 2. Effect Table ** ** 3.62 0.71c 1.15c 2.25b 3.25b 1.252 13.51 1.85b 0.55d 0.252 12.35a 10.25a 2 DAT Treatments ants Weaver Pymetrozine 50WG Control LSD 0.05 F-test CV% ** ** **Significant at p=0.01; letters indicate significant difference means followed by different 5.58 0.85c 1.25c 9.55a 2.55b 3.45b 1.251 13.62 2.32b 0.65d 0.384 11.55a 1 DAT ** 11.25a 10.55 9.650 10.45 1.18 5.63 10.55b 10.26b 0.660 3.20 NS (mean) 9.25c 11.25 treatment No. at pre- Treatment Adult hoppers O. smaragdina Limonene Pymetrozine 50WG Control LSD 0.05 Level of significance CV (%) CV Nymphs O. smaragdina Limonene Pymetrozine 50WG Control LSD 0.05 Level of significance CV (%) CV **Significant at p=0.01; letters indicate significant difference means followed by different The weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (F.) in biological control of the mango hopper 3 MD. Golam Ferdous and Mahbuba Jahan with ant and pymetrozine, respectively (Table 1). These Butani D K. 1974. Insect pest of fruit crops and their control (mango). damage levels (Hemiptera: Cicadellidea) in These results reveal that induction and augmentation mango orchards in the Northern Territory. International Journal of of O. smaragdina in mango orchards might result in Pest Management 51(4): 299-306. reducing the incidence of hoppers. Augmentation and Tandon P L,Verghese A.1985.World list of insect, mite and other pest conservation biological control has to be synchronized of mango. Technical document, Indian Institute of Horticultural with judicious application of insecticides. Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bengalore, Karnataka. Van Mele P. 2008. A historical review of research on the weaver REFERENCES ant Oecophylla in biological control. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10: 13-22. Agarwal V M, Rastogi N, Raju SVS. 2007. Impact of predatory ants on Wetterer J K. 2017. Geographic distribution of the weaver ant Oecophylla two lepidopteran insect pests in Indian cauliflower agroecosystems. smaragdina. Asian Myrmecology. Volume 9. pp. 1-12. Journal of Applied Entomology 131: 493-500. Way M, Khoo K C 1992: Role of ants in pest management. Annual BBS. 2004. Statistical yearbook of Bangladesh. 152 pp. Review of Entomology 37: 479-503.

(Manuscript Received: June, 2020; Revised: September, 2020; Accepted: September, 2020; Online Published: November, 2020) Online published (Preview) in www.entosocindia.org Ref. No. 20150