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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Green arsenal against papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink): An in vitro study of selected botanical oils for sustainable management

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12294
Submitted
16 October 2025
Published
04-06-2026

Abstract

Papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus) is a highly destructive invasive pest causing severe yield losses in papaya and several other crops. This study evaluated the efficacy of three plant oils, viz., neem seed oil, pongamia seed oil and jatropha seed oil, against the adult stage of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus, by using profenofos 50 EC as a standard check. The study was conducted under laboratory conditions with air temperature (27 ± 2 °C) and relative humidity (75 ± 5 %). The papaya mealybug was reared in potato sprouts under laboratory conditions after collection. A leaf dip bioassay was carried out and also observations were taken and analysed following standard procedures. Experimental findings revealed that among the three plant oils evaluated, neem seed oil was the most effective treatment against the adult stage of papaya mealybug. The highest mortality was recorded at 3.0 % concentration of neem seed oil after 72 hr of treatment. The order of toxicity to P. marginatus (adult) with respect to LC50 values after 72 hr exposure period was profenofos (0.003 %) > neem seed oil (1.365 %) > pongamia seed oil (2.033 %) > jatropha seed oil (3.262 %). The order of relative toxicity was profenofos 50 EC > neem seed oil > pongamia seed oil > jatropha seed oil for the exposure period of 72 hr. Considering the efficacy, LC50 value and relative toxicity it was found that all the evaluated plant oils can be successfully used as efficient alternatives of chemical pesticides in future pest management programmes against papaya mealybug to promote green agriculture. Further field testing can be carried out to develop an eco-friendly management strategy for controlling mealybugs in the field conditions.

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