Fecundity and body size-fecundity relations of palaeolecanium bituberculatum (Targ. and tozz.) (hemiptera: Coccidae) on apple trees

This study was carried out on four apple cultivars including Ambassy, Cevaal, Golden and Topred in Konya province in 2007– 2008. Fecundity, the relations between the body size-fecundity, body size-egg size and population density-fecundity of Bituberculate scale (Palaeolecanium bituberculatum (Targ. and Tozz.) (Homoptera: Coccidae)) were investigated. Fifty females were collected from each apple cultivar and fecundity and female body scale dimensions were determined for each female separately. Also population densities on each cultivar and egg size of different females were measured. Average fecundity of Ambassy, Cevaal, Golden and Topred cultivars was respectively observed as 897 (285-1730), 956 (317-1622), 613 (136-1257) and 761 (186-1254) eggs. When data from all apple cultivars regressed together, the correlation coefficient for the body height, length and width - fecundity was calculated as r2=0.73, r2=0.63 and r2=0.62, respectively. Multiple regression of female scale width, length, height and fecundity yielded the highest coefficient (r2= 0.83). The degree of regression between body dimensions and fecundity varied based on cultivars and separate assessments for each cultivar yielded better outcomes than combined assessments. The correlation coefficient between population density-fecundity was r2=0.831, but the relation was not significant because of low sample size (F (1,2) = 9.852, p = 0.088). There weren’t any significant relations between fecundity-egg size and between female scale size-egg size of bituberculate scale.