VOLUME 14 NUMBER 1 (January to June 2021)

Lourdes D. Taylo*¹ and Pablito M. Magdalita²

¹Entomology Laboratory, Specialized Laboratories-Crop
      Improvement Division, Institute of Plant Breeding
²Division of Crop Breeding and Genetic Resources Division,
      Institute of Crop Science, and Institute of Plan Breeding,
      College of Agriculture and Food Science,
      University of the Philippines, Los Baños 4031

This study was undertaken to document the prevalent insect pest fauna on 119 Hibiscus germplasm causing considerable damage to mature plants. The Hibiscus breeding populations were maintained in the IPB Nursery. The presence of insect pests was taken during the dry seasons of February 2014 and January 2015 among each entry. The results showed a high percent incidence of flea beetle, mealybugs, and soft scale insects. The mean percentage incidence of the insects ranged from 20-80% among foreign released varieties, IPB released varieties, IPB experimental hybrids and local accessions. Other occasional pests that should also be monitored are the leafhopper, aphids, and tussock moth. During the observation period, a high incidence of insect pests was observed during January 2015 dry season. This study emphasized the importance of familiarity with the important insect pests of Hibiscus for field scouting to determine pest populations and their well-timed control.