Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403360
Research Project: Exotic Whitefly and Subtropical Invasive Pests of Vegetables and Ornamental Plants

Location: Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research

Title: Developing species-level diagnostic kit for Nipaecoccus viridis

Author
item Ahmed, Muhammad

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Regional Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) is an exotic pest currently limited to Florida and possibly Texas in the continental USA. In a previous study, we tested 57 mealybug species in Florida and showed only N. viridis turned green in a potassium hydroxide solution (10% KOH), providing a rapid species confirmation test for all life stages. The unanswered question was whether the potassium in 10% KOH or its pH turned the mealybug’s hemolymph green. My talk will discuss the alternative solutions with different pHs we tested in the laboratory and field conditions to develop the species-level field diagnostic kit for commercial production systems in citrus and ornamental plant industries.