Abstract

GOANE, Lucía et al. Population fluctuation of the citrus leafminer and its imported parasitoid, Ageniaspis citricola, in the province of Tucumán, Argentina. Rev. ind. agríc. Tucumán [online]. 2007, vol.84, n.2, pp.9-18. ISSN 1851-3018.

Presence of citrus leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton in Tucumán province, Argentina, raised new problems for the phytosanitary management of citrus producing orchards. At present, one of the main tools used to control this pest is the specialized parasitoid Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya, imported from Perú in 1998. With the aim to define adequate management strategies to control this pest, citrus leafminer population fluctuation and A. citricola parasitism were evaluated in different areas of the province. Samples were taken from lemon orchards placed in northern and southern Tucumán every two weeks, from November to April in four consecutive citrus cropping seasons. Citrus leafminer infestation was calculated from observations of lemon flushes with susceptible young leaves and parasitism rates were evaluated analyzing citrus leafminer pupal chambers on mature leaves. Citrus leafminer infestation reached higher values in the north, compared with that observed in the south. Higher A. citricola parasitism rates registered in the south resulted in earlier decrease in pest infestation, which took place in mid summer. Mean temperature was the meteorological factor that correlated best with citrus leafminer population fluctuation, and relative humidity, with A. citricola parasitism.

Keywords : Phyllocnistis citrella; Abundance; Parasitism; Temperature; Relative humidity.

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