La Presencia Del Psílido Asiático De Las Cítricas Diaphorina Citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) En Limón (Citrus Limonia Osbeck), En Parcelas Con Y Sin Cubiertas Metalizadas De Suelos Bajo Diferentes Modalidades De Aplicación Nutriciona

Currently, the citrus industry in Puerto Rico is going through one of its worst moments because of a disease that threatens its production. The Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as Citrus Greening is a disease caused by the bacterium, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'. This bacterium is considered worldwide as the most destructive disease for citrus. It is transmitted in America by the citrus psyllid (Liviidae) Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. The aim on objectives was to determine the populations of D. citri in lemon young trees over time, evaluate the population abundance in plots with and without ground metalized covers and establish relationships between climatic factors with D. citri populations. The experiment was established at the Agricultural Research Station at Lajas, Puerto Rico. The area has 274 cubic meters and was planted randomly with varieties Meyer and Cabro lemons (Citrus limonia Osbeck). The site has plots with metallized plastic covers and plots uncovered. One tree per plot was randomly selected to sample three youth shoots and to identify the presence of nymphs and adults of D. citri. After evaluating the plots for a period of 18 months, results show a higher populations of D. citri during the months of March, April and May, exceeding the 150 individuals per month. Significantly low populations (P = 0.0033) (alpha = 0.05) were found in plots containing ground covers compared to uncovered plots. Weather conditions in the area were favorable for breeding and insect development. No significant relationships were found between climatological parameters with changes in insect populations. Results showed that metallized plastics covers could become a strategy for integrated management of the insect D. citri.