Evaluación de densidades poblacionales de la mosca blanca (Bemisia tabaci) y sus parasitoides en genotipos ecuatorianos de Capsicum spp.

Abstract

The genus Capsicum is native to tropical and subtropical America, belongs to the family Solanaceae and includes peppers and chili peppers, which are commercially important vegetables. The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) causes losses in vegetables including Capsicum species. Environmentally compatible pest control alternatives include host plant resistance and biological control by parasitoids and predators. The objective of this research was to evaluate the population density of the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and its parasitoids on Ecuadorian genotypes of Capsicum spp. B. tabaci infestation was estimated in 23 Ecuadorian Capsicum genotypes, corresponding to the species C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. sinense, C. frutescens and C. pubescens, from an Ecuadorian germplasm bank. Of the 23 genotypes evaluated, the number of eggs and nymphs of B. tabaci were higher in genotype Cb-11993 of C. baccatum, followed by genotypes Cp-11991 and Cp-2244 of C. pubescens and Ca-12860 belonging to C. annuum. The rest of the genotypes had little or no infestation. Species of the genus Encarsia, as well as coccinellids and predatory chrysopids decreased the populations that developed in the most infested genotypes. The effect of plant resistance together with the action of effective natural enemies could be complemented as pest management practices in a crop.