Oviposition of Helopeltis antonii (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Psidium guajava fruits

Abstract

Detailed studies on the oviposition behaviour of H. antonii on different types of guava Psidium guajava fruit from April to December that corresponds from fruiting to harvesting period was carried out in 2015. A shift in the egg laying pattern in relation to availability of fruits of different types were recorded during the season. Maximum number of eggs /fruit was recorded on unmatured scabby cracked fruits in the initial season of fruiting which shifted to ripe scabby fruits with the advancement of season. However data analysis on the egg laying for the entire season recorded significantly more number of eggs /fruit on un matured scabby cracked fruits. Co- relation between the availability of fruit type and number of eggs resulted in a positive linear curve with R2 value = 0.97 indicating that   unmatured scabby and cracked fruits contain more eggs than other types of fruits screened.