Infestation and population dynamics of Diaphorina citri in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the infestation levels and population dynamics of Diaphorina citri in 16 citrus cultivars established on two rootstocks, in the Cauca River Geographic Valley, Colombia. Biweekly samplings were carried out between March 2017 and March 2020. The number of adults, nymphs, and eggs of D. citri on vegetative shoots, as well as the number of adults captured with yellow sticky traps were determined. A total of 61,783 D. citri individuals were recorded on shoots (1.8% adults, 47.9% nymphs, and 50.3% eggs), and 6,048 adults were captured with the sticky traps. Infestation differed among cultivars and citrus groups. No effect of rootstock or cultivar/rootstock interaction was observed on the population. The Key-lime + lemon citrus group exhibited the highest infestation. The cultivars with the highest prevalence are Eureka and Owari-Satsuma, and those with the lowest prevalence are Hamlin and Parson-Brown. The insect D. citri is present year-round in the Cauca River Valley, and its population density is favored by periods of high vegetative budding.