Influence of Pre-Harvest Bagging on the Incidence of Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and Fruit Quality in Mango

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The white mango scale Aulacaspis tubercularis is an invasive pest that causes important damage to mango crops in Southern Spain. The use of integrated management strategies (cultural, biological, and chemical control) is recommended for its effective and sustainable management. Among cultural control measures, fruit bagging technology is being widely used in some mango production regions prior to harvest to protect fruit from diseases, pests, and mechanical damage. However, despite the proven efficacy of bagging, its usefulness has still not been proved to control A. tubercularis infestations on mango fruits. In this study, we evaluated not only the mango bagging efficacy on A. tubercularis control but also its effects on the development and quality of bagged fruits. We tested two commercial types of bags (a yellow satin paper bag and a white muslin cloth bag) commonly used to cover several other fruits. Both bags were effective in reducing the pest incidence and damage caused by A. tubercularis when mango fruits were bagged before the scales migrated to them. Our findings indicate that the use of bags for the pre-harvest protection of mango fruits is feasible, and it may improve their development (weight and size) and quality (color and soluble solids). ABSTRACT: Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) is the main pest of mango, Mangifera indica L., in Spain, causing significant economic losses by aesthetic damage that reduce the commercial value of fruit. Bagging fruit with two commercial bags (a yellow satin paper and a white muslin cloth bag) was evaluated for control of A. tubercularis in two organic mango orchards during the 2020 cropping season in pursuit of the development of a mango IPM program to produce pest-free and residue-free fruits. Results from fruit damage evaluations at harvest showed that bagging significantly reduced pest incidence and fruit damage compared with non-bagged plots. Of the two bags evaluated, white muslin cloth bag provided higher levels of fruit protection from A. tubercularis damage, reducing the non-commercial fruit percentage by up to 93.42%. Fruit quality assessment indicated that weight and size of bagged fruit were significantly higher than the non-bagged. Paper-bagged mangoes showed higher whiteness and yellowness compared to the other treatments. Soluble solids content (ºBrix) was higher in paper-bagged fruit than all other treatment plots. The results from this study indicate that pre-harvest fruit bagging is effective at controlling A. tubercularis and should be integrated into an IPM program for Spanish mango production.