Population dynamics of some coccids (Coccoidea: Hemiptera) infesting sandal (Santalum album Linn.) in Bangalore, India

A study was conducted to investigate the population dynamics of four important coccids viz., Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead), Ceroplastes actiniformis Green, Cardiococcus bivalvata (Green) and Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner) infesting sandal in Bangalore, India. Meteorological data viz., monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures, morning and evening relative humidity and total rainfall were also collected during the experimental period for statistical analysis to ascertain their influence on the population of coccids. The results show that all the four coccids are infesting sandal throughout the year. Maximum temperature exhibited significantly negative correlation with the population dynamics of A. orientalis, while other weather parameters did not show much influence on its incidence. In case of C. bivalvata, minimum temperature and morning relative humidity exhibited significant positive correlation with its population dynamics while other weather parameters had less significant effect on its population dynamics. For C. actiniformis and P. nigra, none of the weather factors seem to have influence on their incidences.