In-vivo measurement of the fluorescence spectrum of wild cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae)

It is known that the harmful presence of the wild cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae), unlike the fine cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), in prickly pear crops of farmers leads to consider it as one of the major pests for this crop. In this study, we present the implementation of an optical setup that ensures the measurement of the in-vivo fluorescence spectra of wild cochineals ranging in size from 440 to 1190 µm in their natural habitat achieved by developing a reproduction model adopted from available literature. It was observed that in-vivo fluorescence spectra of these insects were comprised in the spectral region of 570–760 nm, showing a proportional dependence between the fluorescence intensity emitted and the cochineal size. In addition, we have considered other spectral parameters to perform the comparison between fluorescence spectra of the different cochineal sizes. These results provide the basis for the development of novel methodologies and equipment aimed towards the early detection of this pest in prickly pear crops from its early growth stages (nymph I and II).