Taux d’infestation des palmeraies de Zelfana par la cochenille blanche Parlatoria blanchardi Targ.

Abstract

The date palm scale Parlatoria blanchardi is one of the main pests threatening the palm groves of the Algerian Sahara. Our work is focused on the evaluation of the rate of infestation by this pest on two varieties of the date of economic importance (Ghars and Deglet Nour) in a phoenicicultural region of Zelfana, during the first three months of 2023. We found that the degree of date palm scale infestation by cardinal orientation is observed to be highest on the north side. Moreover, our results showed that the lower floor is the center of the white cochineal, compared to the upper floor. What makes, this pest always seeks the shelter of solar radiations or it prefers the old Djerids whatever the varieties. Our work, despite the short duration, contributed to the knowledge of this insect in terms of the beginning of a generation and its varietal, orientation and floor preferences. These results can help researchers in the integrated fight against this insect which harms the photosynthesis of the host plant, which leads to the rapid aging of the leaflets, which appreciate after the yield in quality than in quantity.