Sucking Pests of Pineapple and their Management- A Review

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.