Pests associated with citrus in Chinandega, Nicaragua, 2018

Abstract

Citrus fruits (Citrus spp. L.) represent a source of currency and employment generation in Nicaragua, because there is no formal report on the population occurrence of insects associated with citrus fruits. The present study had the purpose of determining the population fluctuation of pests and beneficial insects in citrus fruits. The study was carried out in the municipalities of Chinandega and Chichigalpa, Chinandega Department, from April to September 2014, the data collection was in six farms, in each farm six traps were located, three free fall traps (Pitfall traps) for the capture of crawling insects, and three gallon traps with molasses for the capture of flying insects, the collected insects were sent to the Entomology Laboratory at UNA for their identification down to the species level, the number of insects was evaluated by family and the data was performed in a variance analysis, the diversity and abundance were estimated using the Shannon-Weaver diversity index, for the different families of the population. The results obtained showed that the main families of insects associated with citrus cultivation are Formicidae, Syrphidae, Vespidae, Tachinidae, Carabidae, Apidae, Tenebrionidae, Chrysopidae, Sarcophagidae and from arachnids, the Araneidae family was found, it is concluded that the largest wealth of insects associated with citrus fruits was found in the Farid farm followed by the Mariaelsa and Pañueleta farms, this is due to low pesticide application, presence of abundant wild vegetation and proximity to other species cultivated in the area.