Evaluación de la eficiencia de productos alternativos para el control de Tecia solanivora y Symmetrischema tangolias en diferentes estadios larvarios

Abstract

Potatoes constitute one of the most important products for the economy and food security of Ecuador, being one of the most important agricultural items for peasant agriculture. The presence of invasive pests, especially the moth complex, cause considerable damage to the product, making it unusable for consumption and commercialization, generating economic losses. Situation that has worsened with the drastic and excessive use of chemical fertilizers to control the plague, given its high toxicity, causing damage to health and the environment. Botanical treatments are a profitable alternative for the management of these pests, which contribute to solving this problem. The objective of this study is to analyze the efficacy of different alternative products for the control of the potato moth complex. This trial was carried out in Cuenca in the Cañaribamba parish, where 5 types of treatments were established, using individual rearing chambers for each test pest Tecia solanivora and Symmetrischema tangolias, which are common in mumps areas of the Ecuadorian highlands, to which the treatments in tuber seeds were applied for their subsequent infestation. The treatments in question for the control of moths to be evaluated were T1) azadirachtin X, T2) lupine cooking water, T3) eucalyptus ash, T4) malathion and T5) control, malathion being the usual chemical treatment for farmers. Finally, in the experiment it was observed that ash and azadirachtin had the best efficacy especially in immature stages of the pest, showing a significant control for the evaluation parameters of larval mortality, tuber damage and protection period, with 60% effective, although not as effective as malathion, which was 100%, which proved to be the most efficient, economical, and sustainable pest control treatment, compared to the alternatives of botanical and control extracts.