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Mango hopper (Amritodus / Idioscopus) Photo: Satdeep Gill · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗

Mango hopper (Amritodus / Idioscopus)

Mango hoppers are wedge-shaped leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) that congregate on mango inflorescences at flowering and suck sap from panicles and tender leaves. They are the most damaging pest of mango in India during flowering. Three species dominate Indian orchards: Amritodus atkinsoni, Idioscopus clypealis and Idioscopus nitidulus (= I. niveosparsus). ICAR-IIHR Bangalore and ICAR-CISH Lucknow rate them as the principal cause of preventable yield loss in the Chittoor and YSR Kadapa mango clusters of Rayalaseema, where they can wipe out the entire crop in unsprayed orchards.

Identification

Adults are 3.5-5 mm long, wedge-shaped, grey-brown to greenish, often with characteristic dark spots on the vertex and pronotum. Amritodus atkinsoni is the largest and bears two prominent black spots on the scutellum. Females insert eggs singly into the midrib of tender leaves and the rachis of panicles, leaving small slits. Nymphs are pale green-yellow, run sideways when disturbed, and aggregate on panicles. Heavy infestations produce a "tick-tock" buzzing on disturbed trees.

Hosts and life cycle

The hoppers are largely monophagous on Mangifera indica. Adults overwinter in cracks of the trunk and dense canopy; they migrate to flushing trees from December and build to peak populations during the February-March flowering window. Each female lays 100-200 eggs over 2-3 weeks. Eggs hatch in 4-7 days; five nymphal instars complete in 8-15 days; the entire cycle takes 14-25 days depending on temperature. ICAR-IIHR reports 3-7 generations per year in south India, with the most damaging generation coinciding with panicle emergence.

Damage and economic impact

Adults and nymphs feed on cell sap from panicles, flower stalks and tender leaves, causing flowers and young fruit to dry and shed. Sucking damage during flowering can prevent fruit set entirely. Honeydew excreted by the colony coats panicles and leaves, on which black sooty mould develops; the mould interferes with photosynthesis and reduces fruit quality. ICAR-IIHR and CISH estimate 25-60% yield loss in unmanaged orchards, with complete crop failure possible in heavy infestation years. Hopper outbreaks frequently coincide with powdery mildew (Mango Powdery Mildew) and anthracnose (Mango Anthracnose Colletotrichum), compounding losses.

Management

ICAR-IIHR and CISH recommend an integrated package focused on the panicle emergence and pre-flowering windows:

  • Cultural: prune crowded branches to open the canopy and remove water sprouts after harvest; this reduces oviposition refuges. Combine with canopy training (Mango Canopy Training Pruning).
  • Monitoring: inspect 10 panicles per tree twice weekly from panicle emergence; threshold is 5 hoppers per panicle.
  • Chemical: first spray at panicle emergence (before flower opening), second at marble stage. Recommended molecules with rotation:
    • imidacloprid 17.8% SL at 0.3 ml/L
    • thiamethoxam 25% WG at 0.2 g/L
    • lambda-cyhalothrin 5% EC at 1 ml/L
    • acetamiprid 20% SP at 0.2 g/L Avoid spraying during full bloom to protect pollinators.
  • Biological: conserve the egg parasitoid Polynema sp., mirid predators and reduviid bugs; entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae) at 5 g/L give 50-70% reduction.
  • Sanitation: smoke from green-leaf bonfires under canopies in still evenings is a traditional practice that dislodges adult hoppers.

See also: Mango Anthracnose Colletotrichum, Mango Powdery Mildew, Mango Flowering Management, Fruit Fly Orchard Pest, and the various mango variety entries.

Sources

  1. Mango hoppers. ICAR-IIHR Bangalore.
  2. Mango pest management. ICAR-CISH Lucknow.