Survey of pests and their natural enemies in Citrus greenhouse nurseries in Montenegro

Abstract: Citrus is one of the largest fruit industries worldwide, grown in more than 50
countries around the world. It is also a major fruit crop of tropical and subtropical areas. Citrus production plays an important role in the agricultural sector of Montenegro, where it is located in the southern (coastal) part. In this study we present an overview of Citrus pests in greenhouse nurseries. During the years 2021-2024, from May to October each year, visual inspections in seven greenhouses (near to Podgorica and in the coastal area of Montenegro) revealed that the most common pests are: Phyllocnistis citrella, Dialeurodes citri, Aphis spiraecola and Panonychus citri. Other detected species such as Toxoptera aurantii, Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, Coccus pseudomagnoliarum, Icerya purchasi, Aleurocanthus spiniferus, Aleuroclava aucubae, Metcalfa pruinosa, Cacoecimorpha pronubana, Polyphagotarsonemus latus and Aceria scheldoni, are less frequent or sparsely found. Despite chemical applications are frequent in most inspected nurseries, sporadic presence of some predator species was recorded: Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata and Scymnus sp. All presented findings should serve as the basis for further studies regarding inventorying of beneficial species and their use in biological control.