The extensive survey was made during year 2011 to 2012 in different blocks of Coimbatore, Erode, Perambalur, Salem and Tirupur districts of Tamil Nadu on the incidence of papaya mealybug, P. marginatus on tapioca. Among the ninety five farmer’s holdings observed, none of the field was free from the pest incidence. The incidence ranged from 2 to 100 per cent. All the plant parts were covered with mealybugs with crinkling of leaves and leaves and fruits covered with honey dew and sooty mold and were started drying. Among the 95 fields surveyed, 13 recorded very high incidence, 3 with high incidence, 5 with medium incidence, 22 with low incidence and 52 with very low incidence. Very high incidence of 100 per cent was observed in only eight fields. Complete shedding of leaves occurred in most of the plants. | Survey of papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus on tapioca crop in different districts of Tamil Nadu
