Association of Different Fungal Species with the Infestation of Tea Mosquito Bug, <i>Helopeltis antonii</i> Signoret on Neem

The Tea Mosquito Bug (TMB), Helopeltis antonii is a serious pest on Neem, Azadirachta indica wherein, the plants present a burnt appearance due to the damage caused by this mirid bug. Previous reports suggest that certain fungi are associated with the infestation of TMB in other crops but no such reports are available with respect to neem. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to isolate and identify the fungal species associated with TMB infestation on neem. Seven isolates belonging to six fungal genera viz., Phoma sp., Fusarium sp., Macrophomina sp., Aspergillus sp., Helminthosporium sp. and Pestalotiopsis sp. were identified from seventeen isolates obtained from TMB infested shoots. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the association of fungal species with the infestation of TMB on neem.