First Report of Papaya Mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus) in Uganda

Publication Date

Tue, 07 Jun 2022, 22:13

Last Updated

June 9, 2022, 6:34 a.m.

Report Number

UGA-02/3

Country

Uganda

Pest Id

Paracoccus - (1PACOG)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

P. marginatus is a polyphagous pest, that feeds on a wide range of crops, fruits, ornamentals and weed plants belonging to many plant families. Of concern in Uganda are Papaya sp, Mangifera sp, Manihot esculenta, Annona sp, Hibiscus sp, Rosa sp, Solanum spp (S. melongena), Psidium guajava, Phaseolus sp, Vigna unguiculata, Musa sp, Coffea sp, Capsicum sp (Bell peppers), all of which are very important in the country.

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and not under official control

Geographical Distribution

Eastern Uganda

Summary

This is a report on the first detection of the Papaya mealybug in Uganda, August 2021. The detection was supported by a survey initiated by the need to confirm the presence of the Mango Mealybug after it was reported in Rwanda in 2019. The survey was facilitated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Rome, Italy. Samples of fruits and leaves were collected from the Eastern, Western, Northern and South western parts of Uganda. The samples were sent for laboratory diagnosis and identification to the British Natural Museum, in the United Kingdom. Laboratory reports confirmed presence of the Papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus. from samples collected from Mbale district in the Eastern region, which neighbours Kenya.

Danger

There is likelihood that the pest will spread to other areas beyond the current location. Short distance dispersal is known to occur through active walking of the crawlers from infested to uninfested plants or passively by wind, rain, irrigation water, birds and ants. Long distance dispersal is by human transportation of infested plant material such as pawpaw fruits and fresh vegetative parts from one area to another. P. marginatus is likely to impact Uganda economically, culturally and environmentally. It has great potential to affect the production and quality of Papaya and other host crops. Black sooty mould grows on the honey dew produced by the Papaya mealy bug, disfiguring the plant and produce , so reducing the crop yield and rendering extremely lower commercial value of the produce. Sooty mould also, blocks light and air from/ to the leaves, impeding gaseous exchange and photosynthesis, hence further reducing (severely denting) productivity. Heavy infestation makes pawpaw fruits hard and bitter resulting into serious economic damage to affected farmers and subsequent abandonment of pawpaw farming as a whole. Other vulnerable crops such as cassava, Annona, Hibiscus are high vale crops and cassava is a major food security and industrial crop. P. marginatus on cassava crop may plunge many small holder farmers into acute famine and malnutrition.

Contact for info

Caroline Nankinga Mary Kukiriza (PhD), Assistant Commissioner - Phytosanitary and Quarantine Inspection Services, Department of Crop Inspection and Certification Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, P.O.Box 102, Entebbe, UGANDA Email: [email protected]

Report files

Official report

Website

Issue keywords

Regulated pests

Commodity keywords

Fresh pawpaws -papayas-