Research in Plant Sciences, 2014, Vol. 2, No. 2, 42-44 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/plant/2/2/2 © Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/plant-2-2-2 Relative Food Preference of Phenacoccus Solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: pseudococcidae) to Different Host Plant Species in Punjab, Pakistan Muhammad Rafiq Shahid 1,2 , Muhammad Jalal Arif 1 , Muhammad Dildar Gogi 1 , Muhammad Shahid Iqbal 2,* 1 University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 2 Ayub Agricultural Research Institute *Corresponding author: shahidkooria@gmail.com Received October 23, 2013; Revised March 11, 2014; Accepted March 24, 2014 Abstract 25 plant species were screened for food preference of cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, using a multi-choice experiment under laboratory conditions maintained at 25 ± 1ºC, 55 ± 5% relative humidity with a 16 h light: 8 h dark photoperiod. The proportion of 1st, 2nd and 3rd nymphal instars was recorded on 24 plant species at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after release as compared with Chinese rose as control. The proportion of 1st and 3rd instar of P. solenopsis was maximum on cotton, but highest proportion of 2nd instar was recorded on weed plants including hazardani, qulfa and itsit as compared with control (Chinese rose). In contrast proportion of nymphal instars of P. solenopsis on other tested weeds i.e., loosen booti, tandla and krund. Keywords: feeding preference, cotton mealy bug, Host-Pest Interaction, multiple feeding, weed plants Cite This Article: Muhammad Rafiq Shahid, Muhammad Jalal Arif, Muhammad Dildar Gogi, and Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, “Relative Food Preference of Phenacoccus Solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: pseudococcidae) to Different Host Plant Species in Punjab, Pakistan.” Research in Plant Sciences, vol. 2, no. 2 (2014): 42-44. doi: 10.12691/plant-2-2-2. 1. Introduction The cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley is major pest of cotton that was first time reported as a pest of cotton in Texas. Presently it has appeared as major pest of cotton in Pakistan [1] and many other countries like from the Eastern region of Sri Lanka and China [2,3]. Damage pattern of cotton mealybug is sucking in nature i.e., suck cell sap from the plants. Female and nymphal instars injure crop excluding male that never cause damage to the crop and is short lived. Female in turn also emits honey dews leading to sooty mould development that influences photosynthetic activity of plants. Fully damaged plants shed their leaves that appear like sprayed with defoliator. P. solenopsis is a polyphagous insect pest that feed on variety of plant species. According to Arif et al. [4] near about 154 plant species serve as alternative host plants of P. solenopsis throughout the year. During winter these host plant species help as carryover of pest to the next crop [5]. These situations provide feeding and breeding link to P. solenopsis. Pest has attained the status of major insect pest of cotton, that remains active throughout the season on different plants but activity remain to its peak during the month of September [6].Therefore it is the possibility that pest attack may further increase with the passage of time in future [4]. Food preference of herbivorous insect pest is highly influenced with host plant resistance mechanism. This resistance may be due to the provision of physiomorphic traits of plants, primary and secondary metabolites / allelochemicals or imbalanced nutrients. Keeping in view the it was imperative to study about the food preference or antixenotic behavior of P. solenopsis toward various host plants by using multichoice experiment under laboratory conditions to recommend any intervention strategy in the field. 2. Materials and Methods The present studies were undertaken at Integrated Pest Management Laboratory, Department of Agri. Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, during 2008. 2.1. Plant material A total of 25 host plant species commonly available in the agro- climate of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan viz., Lantana (Lantana camara) Verbenaceae, Krund (Chinopodium morale) Chenopodiaceae, chinese rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) Malvaceae, Lehli (Convolvulus arvensis) Convulvulaceae, peeli dhodak (Launea nudicaulis) Euphorbiaceae, Aksun (Withania somnifera) Solanaceae, Janglihaloon (Coronopus didimus) Brassicaceae, Hazardani (Euphorbia prostrate) Euphorbiaceae, Loosen booti (Conyza bonariensis) Asteraceae, Brinjal (Solamum melongena) Solanaceae,