Validation and Demonstration of Dimethoate 40% EC Insecticide for Management of White Mango Scale (Aulacaspis tubercularis) in Selected Districts of Central Ethiopia Region

Abstract

Mango is important food and cash crops in Ethiopia. However, the production and productivity of this crop is highly limited by high White Mango Scale (WMS) infestations. Controlling of WMS is very important to increase mango fruit yield. Therefore, the objective this study was to validate and demonstrate Dimethoate 40% EC for management of WMS. The study was carried out in Siltie zone (Sankura district) and Halaba zone (Wera district) during 2025 cropping season. Two treatments Dimethoate 40% EC and Control was used. Four farmers from each district were used. The data on mean Severity (%) and mean numbers of clusters white mango scale were taken three times monthly interval. The collected data were computed by using Microsoft excel 2010 and presented in tables. The higher severity (66.75% and 69.25%) and the lower (3.75% and 4.75%) were recorded from Wera and Sankura disticts, respectively. Dimethoate 40% EC is a highly effective systemic insecticide for managing white mango scale particularly when integrated with cultural practices like pruning. Therefore, applying it two times as foliar spray in monthly interval especially during peak infestation periods is very important.