Los frutales en la región norte de la Amazonía se encuentran como parte de la diversidad de cultivos en las chakras de los productores. El objetivo del presente estudio fue caracterizar los frutales amazónicos presentes en las fincas productoras de cacao, café y sistemas silvopastoriles ubicadas en las provincias de Orellana y Sucumbíos La información se obtuvo en base a encuestas dirigidas y mediante observación directa en el campo. Los resultados indicaron que en las dos provincias, los productores establecen de 1 a 19 especies de frutales en sus parcelas, siendo las fincas de menos de 10 hectáreas las más diversas. En la mayoría de fincas, los frutales predominantes en los sistemas de producción son cítricos, coco, guaba, aguacate, papaya, piña y chonta. Estos cultivos se encuentran en asocio con café, cacao, sistemas silvopastoriles; monocultivos; o dispersos fuera de estos sistemas. Por otro lado, se han introducido especies que son consideradas como frutales con potencial de mercado, entre ellos se encontraron la grosella, higo, pomelo, mango y maracuyá. La producción de los frutales está destinada en su mayoría para autoconsumo y alimentación de los animales de la finca; sin embargo el excedente se vende para generar un ingreso económico.

Insecticides used against potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Harris) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), have been reported to cause problems with maple spider mite, Oli

Although leaf nitrogen (N) has been shown to increase the suitability of hosts to herbivorous arthropods, the responses of these pests to N fertilization on susceptible and resistant host plants are not well characterized. This study determined how different rates of N fertilization affected injury caused by the potato leafhopper ( Empoasca fabae Harris) and the abundance of maple spider mite ( Oligonychus aceris (Shimer)) on ‘Red Sunset’ red maple ( Acer rubrum ) and ‘Autumn Blaze’ Freeman maple ( Acer × freemanii ) during two years in Indiana. N fertilization increased leaf N concentration in both maple cultivars, albeit to a lesser extent during the second year of the study. Overall, Red Sunset maples were more susceptible to E. fabae injury than Autumn Blaze, whereas Autumn Blaze maples supported higher populations of O. aceris . Differences in populations of O. aceris were attributed to differences between communities of stigmaeid and phytoseiid mites on each cultivar. Injury caused by E. fabae increased with N fertilization in a dose-dependent manner in both cultivars. Although N fertilization increased the abundance of O. aceris on both maple cultivars, there was no difference between the 20 and 40 g rates. We suggest the capacity of N fertilization to increase O. aceris on maples could be limited at higher trophic levels by the community of predatory mites.

Background: Contemporary agriculture heavily relies on synthetic chemicals to ensure high yields and food security; however, their overuse has led to health issues and the development of pesticide resistance in pests. Researchers are now exploring natural, eco-friendly alternatives for pest control. Methods: This study evaluated two ethanol-based formulations (1.25% and 2.50%, v/v) derived from the tangerine peel (Citrus reticulata L. var. Clementina) against conventional chemical treatments and an untreated control group in the cultivation of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L. var. Capiro). A randomised block design was used, with three blocks per treatment containing 45 plants. The experiment was conducted during the wet season (February–April 2023). Results: According to visual inspections and yellow traps, following weekly application from days 30 to 105 post-planting to monitor pest (e.g., Frankliniella occidentalis, Aphididae) and beneficial insect (e.g., Coccinellidae, Apis mellifera) populations, the 2.50% formulation performed similarly to chemical treatments against pests, whilst being harmless to beneficial insects. Post-harvest analysis showed that the formulations achieved 73% of conventional yields, with comparable tuber damage and levels of Premnotrypes vorax larvae. Conclusions: Toxicological tests confirmed the eco-friendliness of the formulations, making them suitable for small-scale Andean ‘chakras’ in organic farming and honey production, without the use of chemicals.

To mitigate risks of invasive pests, international nursery exporters may soon be expected to participate in clean stock programs that reduce the probability of shipping crops that contain pests of quarantine significance. We worked with Costa Rican producers of Dracaena marginata Lam. (Ruscaceae) to identify critical pests, as well as the field conditions and production practices that could be explored for lowering pest abundance in a clean stock program. We sampled the abundance of leafhopper and katydid eggs, armored scales, and snails on leaves using a 10- by 10-m grid in a total of 34 production plots located in two distinct growing regions during the rainy and dry seasons of 2006. Growers were surveyed to determine the production practices in each field. Populations of leafhoppers and snails increased during the rainy season, whereas armored scale populations reached higher densities in the dry season. Fertilizer applications were associated with a greater abundance of leafhoppers, the keystone pests in the system. In contrast, abundances of armored scales and katydids were somewhat lower in fertilized fields. Insecticide applications targeting leafhoppers succeeded in reducing their populations, but secondary outbreaks of armored scales and katydids were observed. Increased frequency of herbicide application was associated with lower populations of leafhoppers with no significant effects on the other herbivores. Although effects of specific production practices in a given plot are confounded, the effects of fertilizer, insecticide, and herbicide use on leafhoppers are consistent with those predicted by literature on this pest. For this reason, the 10- by 10-m sampling grid is sensitive enough for use in controlled studies that evaluate effects of specific practices on pest abundance. As such, it is likely to be a useful tool for developing a clean stock program for D. marginata in Costa Rica.