Life table of Pseudaulacaspis pentagona Targioni-Tozzetti (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) at different temperatures on white and black mulberries

Some biological characteristics and life table of Mulberry scale [Pseudaulacaspis pentagona Targioni-Tozzetti (Hemiptera: Diaspididae)], which is an important thermophilic, invasive, and polyphagous pest of fruit trees, was investigated. The research has been conducted at 7 different temperatures (20.6, 23.2, 27.1, 29.0, 30.6, 31.3, 33.8 degrees C) on two different mulberry species (Morus alba and M. nigra) in the climate chambers with fixed illumination regime (16 : 8 h) and relative humidity (60% +/- 5%) conditions. The total longevity of female individuals on M. alba were 120.54, 86.79, 63.54, 57.51, 41.35, and 26.27 days, while 110.61, 99.62, 63.84, 70.92, 40.23, and 50.94 days on M. nigra. At these temperatures, the intrinsic rate of increase (r) of P. pentagona on M. alba were -0.012, 0.045, 0.078, 0.066,-0.022 day-1, while -0.019, 0.003, 0.052, 0.043, -0.039, and -0.076 day-1 on M. nigra, respectively. According to the study results, it was found that the population parameters of P. pentagona were generally higher for populations fed on white mulberry than for populations fed on black mulberry, at most of the different temperatures tested. Using the results of this study, it was concluded that black mulberry in regions with optimum temperatures between 23-29 degrees C and white mulberry in warmer areas (29 degrees C and above) would be more appropriate in terms of control P. pentagona.