Identificación de plagas e insectos benéficos asociados a ocho genotipos de cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) en la parroquia Lodana, cantón Santa Ana

Abstract

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is cultivated for the production of beans that constitute the basis for the production of chocolate and cocoa powder, with more than 5.5 million tons produced globally. Ecuador is the largest exporter of cocoa beans in America and the fourth largest in the world. The cacao ecosystem faces challenges from insect pests such as the bug, Monalonion dissimulatum Dist. (Hemiptera: Miridae) and the aphid, Toxoptera aurantii Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Aphididae) that can reduce crop productivity. On the other hand, beneficial insects, such as predators and parasitoids, play an important role in biological pest control in this crop. The objective of this research was to identify pests and beneficial insects in eight cacao genotypes in the Lodana parish, Santa Ana canton. The study was carried out during the period June 2023 - January 2024 in a 2800 m² a lot at the Faculty of Agronomic Engineering of the Technical University of Manabí, with eight cacao genotypes evaluated: EET-399/CCN-51, EET-400/EET-484 IMC-67/EET-484, POUND-12/EET-484, IMC-67/EET-575, POUND-12/CCN-51, EET-400/EETP-800 y EET-399/EET-576. A randomized block design with three replications was used. Populations of phytophagous and natural enemies were counted in leaves and yellow traps. T. aurantii and Planococcus sp., were detected on leaves, which did not show differences between genotypes, while S. rubrocinthus was more abundant in the EET-399/EET-576 genotype. In yellow traps, phytophagous in the families Chrysomelidae and Thripidae as well as Coccinellidae and Eulophidae as important families of natural enemies were identified. The presence of pests was similar in the genotypes evaluated with the exception of S. rubrocinthus, which was higher in EET-399/EET-576. Likewise, the abundance of natural enemies in all genotypes suggests an ecological balance, and the importance of the presence of these biocontrol agents to improve cocoa production.