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Study on survey for the seasonal incidence of papaya mealybug (PMB), Paracoccus marginatus in both Chittoor and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh in India revealed that in Chittoor district the per cent infested fruits were decreased gradually from June, 2013 to January, 2014 due to decrease in maximum and minimum temperatures, increase in rainfall. Acerophagus papayae, a predominant parasitoid activity was also observed during this period. The PMB infested fruits increased gradually from February to April, 2014 due to increase in temperature and prolonged dry spell. Whereas in Kadapa district the per cent PMB infested fruits decreased continuously from June, 2013 to December, 2013 due to decrease in maximum and minimum temperatures, high rainfall and also increase in natural enemy activity observed during this period. Then the PMB infested fruits increased gradually up to April, 2014 due to the fact that prolonged dry weather lead to increase in temperature which encouraged heavy population build-up and further spread of papaya mealybug. In Chittoor and Kadapa districts the correlation of per cent papaya mealybug infested fruits with abiotic factors revealed that, both maximum temparature had a significant positive association with infestation of PMB on fruits. Parthenium hysterophorus is the major alternate host of papaya mealybug in and around the papaya fields in Chittoor and Kadapa districts.
Keywords: Papaya mealybug, Seasonal incidence, Parthenium hysterophorus