PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF Dactylopius coccus costa IN TWO CONFINEMENT CULTIVARS OF Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill

Abstract

Recently, the commercial breeding of Dactylopius coccus in confinement has been promoted, in order not to depend on the production seasonality and to ensure the supply chain. Previous studies have shown the technical viability of that breeding in Opuntia repository also called "Nopaloteca". However, considering the genetic diversity of Opuntia in each region, it is a must to evaluate alternative cultivars to maximize the efficiency of the production system. Two cultivars were evaluated, Esmeralda and Villanueva (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.), four levels of height (m) within the “Nopaloteca” (N1: 0.5; N2: 1.0; N3: 1.5 and N4: 2.0) and two harvest indices (pre and post oviposition) on the effect of the concentration of carminic acid (CCA, %) and fresh weight (FW, g) of D. Coccus. The results obtained showed that there is no significant difference in the CCA of the D. coccus colonies in both cultivars (18%); however, the highest FW was reached in the Esmeralda cultivar with 6.3 g per cladode (p ? 0.05). The highest CCA was found in N4 (2.0 m) with 18.6% (p ? 0.05); while the highest average FW values (p ? 0.05) were present in the intermediate levels N2 (1.0 m) and N3 (1.5 m) with 6.4 and 6.1 g per cladode, respectively. The post oviposition phase harvest of D. coccus resulted in a higher CCA (20.4%); meanwhile, the pre oviposition phase harvest obtained only 15.6% (p ? 0.05). Due to the obtained productivity and quality, Esmeralda cultivar could be used as an alternative host for the intensive breeding of D. coccus in confinement, in north-central Mexico.