Sucking Pests of Pineapple and their Management- A Review

Abstract

Pineapple herbaceous, perennial plant of the tropical and subtropical area. Pineapples grow as a
small shrub and the plant is normally propagated from the offset produced at the top of the fruit or from side
shoot. The fruit are eaten fresh where available and in canned form worldwide which is the only source of
bromelain, an enzyme used in pharmaceuticals and as meat tenderising agent. Common sucking pests
infesting vegetative propagules are mealybugs, scale and pineapple red mites. The successful management of
pineapple pests is based on their correct identification and an understanding of how damage occurs.
Amongst the sucking pest mealy bugs are the utmost important insect pest of pineapple in many countries
while others may reach threshold levels in certain favourable conditions causing serious crop damage.