Potential of Aclepias curassavica L. (Apocynaceae) in the biological control of pests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v9i2.1073Keywords:
Diaphorina citri, Toxoptera aurantii, Phyllocnistis citrella, Lysiphlebus testaceipesAbstract
To know the potential of Asclepias curassavica L. in the management of pests, from January 1 to December 28, 2012, a study was established in a plantation of “Persian” lemon Citrus latifolia in Emiliano Zapata, Villamar, Michoacán, Mexico. One section (treatment) included the A. curassavica plant and the other remained without that species (control). Weekly samples documented species and number of predators, phytophages, parasitoids, and parasitism levels in aphids. Toxoptera aurantii, Aphis spiraecola, Diaphorina citri and Phyllocnistis citrella were the main pests. Its largest populations occurred in the second half of the year and coincided with the main periods of budding of the crop. The main natural enemies observed in A. curassavica were the families Coccinellidae, Syrphidae, Chamaemyiidae, Chrysopidae and the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes. The Coccinellids predominated during the first semester of the year, while the other groups were frequent throughout the year. The results show a 46.3% reduction in citrus aphid populations where Asclepias were established; however, D. citri populations increased 77%. Probably the greatest biocontrol of aphids favored the availability of empty niches (vegetative shoots) and consequently the populations of the psyllid. The wide diversity of natural enemies registered in A. curassavica suggests a high potential of the plant to be used in the regulation and stability of the entomowildlife of agroecosystems, rather than in the control of specific pests.
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