Biological control and identification of entomofauna in pecan orchards established in the Guadiana Valley, Durango, Mexico

Resumen

Objective: To taxonomically identify insect pests associated with pecan cultivation and assess the biological control efficacy of various bioproducts in the Guadiana Valley, Durango, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: Insect pest quantification was conducted through leaf sampling, which involved the inspection of 100 leaves per orchard. This was achieved by randomly selecting 10 trees per orchard and collecting 10 leaves from each tree. The study was conducted in two phases: (1) fieldwork and (2) laboratory analysis. To evaluate the biological efficacy of entomopathogenic agents against the principal pecan pests, the following treatments were applied: (1) untreated control, (2) Beauveria bassiana, (3) Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, (4) Verticillium lecanii, (5) Metarhizium anisopliae, (6) neem extract, and (7) Bacillus thuringiensis. A randomized complete block design with three replicates was implemented, with the experimental unit comprising 15 tree rows per 100 meters. Results: Abundant rainfall during the sampling period resulted in the entomopathogenic treatments showing no statistically significant effect. Nevertheless, the primary insect pests associated with pecan cultivation in the Guadiana Valley were taxonomically identified, with the giant pecan aphid (Longistigma caryae) emerging as the most prevalent species. Limitations/Implications: The study’s limitations are influenced by the agroclimatic conditions of the location where the research is replicated. Findings/Conclusions: The principal insect pest orders and families affecting pecan cultivation in the Guadiana Valley, Durango, were successfully identified.