Effect of bio pesticides in the management of populations of the mango mealybug Rastrococcus invadens williams 1986 in northern Ivory coast

The mango mealybug, Rastrococcus invadens Williams 1986, is one of the main constraints on mango production in northern Ivory Coast. The aim of this study was to control the mealybug population using biopesticides. Three mango orchards were selected in the localities of Lenvogo, Lataha, and Katia. A Fisher block design with three replicates and four objects was used. Each orchard was divided into four elementary plots consisting of one dose of each biopesticide (limocide, 2.98 × 10⁻⁴ g/ml; carapa, 4.98 × 10⁻⁶ g/ml; and neem, 1.49 × 10⁻⁶ g/ml) and a reference product, cypercal, at a dose of 2.49 × 10⁻⁴ g/ml. The mortality rate varied from one treatment to another. Limocide was the most effective against mealybugs, with a mortality rate of 71.76% ± 2.78. Limocide also significantly reduced the attack rate in orchards, from 51% to 6.6%, as well as the level of infestation, from more than 15 mealybugs per leaf to around 3. Neem and carapa resulted in moderate reductions of 22.33% and 28.66%, respectively. These biological control methods could be an alternative to chemical insecticides.