Revista de Protección Vegetal

Contribution from the Superior Ministry of Education to mathematical modeling and computing for decision making in agricultural sector in Cuba

2025-02-08T20:32:09+00:00

For the sake of divulging the contribution of the universities and the research centers of the Superior Ministry of Education (MES) of Cuba at the field of the mathematical and information-technology applied to the agricultural sciences, an abridgement of the principal works published in these sciences and of the contributions accomplished, by part of the mathematicians linked to the agricultural sector, in professionals' formation dedicated to the plant health. Works of algebraic and no algebraic modeling, with theoretic contributions to the models and simulation of processes were showed. Besides, the information-technology systems registered until now leak out. The practical applications include studies ambient genotype in the context of the climatic change, quantitative populations' ecology, crops modeling and geospatial studies, between other ones, conducive to the elaboration of softwares with technology of first level. A list of the theses of mastery and doctorate in Biomatemática and biometry defended in the centers of investigations ascribed a month are offered, besides, and the books of mathematical statistics elaborated at institutions of this ministry, that they constitute a support to the investigations of the agricultural sector. Work is a source of information for the statisticians that carry out an investigation at this sector and a basic complement for the elaboration of new multi-disciplinary projects.

Main contributions to the study of plant parasitic nematodes in Cuba by researchers and professors from High Education Institutions. I: diagnosis, interactions and complex diseases

2025-02-08T20:53:23+00:00

A summary is made of the main contributions of researchers and professors from institutions of the High Education Ministry (MES) in the period from the 60s of the 20^th century to today to develop Agricultural Nematology in Cuba. Dozens of papers and many MsC. and Dr,C. thesis were reviewed, and they show the matureness degree reached by Nematology in Cuba. Objectives of most of the research carried out by MES staffs were related to root nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and horticultural crops. With the introduction of techniques for counting the number of chromosomes, the use of Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with specific primers, and the use of Scanning Electronic Microscopy for the first time in Cuba, the identification and characterization of Meloidogyne enterolobii (Yang and Eisenback) (syn. jun. Meloidogyne mayaguensis Rammah and Hirschmann) in coffee (Coffea arabica L.) were a breaking point for the studies on plant parasitic nematodes. The plant resistance studies showed that Solanaceae, with 12 species evaluated and the predominance of Solanum lycopercicum L., was the most studied botanic family followed by Fabaceae with five species and 18 genotypes, and with numerous cultivars shown as resistant to Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid y White) Chitwood.

New host of Vulsirea nigrorubra F. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Cuba

2025-02-08T19:24:23+00:00

The objectives of this study were to identify the species of stink bug associated with Schoepfia Schreb (Olacacaeae) in a Protected Area and report Schoepfia schreberi (J.F.Gmel) as a host plant of Vulsirea nigrorubra F in Cuba. Samples of S. schreberi plants showing stink infection by stink bugs and damages by their bites were taken from the Varahicacos Natural Protected Landscape (23º,11' N; 81º,8'O), Varadero, Cárdenas municipality, Cuba, to the Entomology Laboratory at Matanzas University. The morphological diagnosis was carried out under a stereo microscope; adult males were processed to describe the parameres. Published works on Heteroptera and Keys of the family Pentatomidae Leach were used. The insects caused chlorosis in young branches, necrotic spot on leaves and forming fruits, as well as deformations on mature fruits. The numerous egg masses, nymphs and adults observed on plants indicated the stink bug reproduction on them. This work is the first report of a host plant for V. nigrorubra in Cuba and a new locality record for the insect.

Management of Megalurothrips usitatus Bagnal in three Phaseolus vulgaris L. cultivars in Mayabeque province, Cuba

2024-07-01T08:36:10+00:00

ABSTRACT

The objective of the present work was to describe the behavior of Megalurothrips usitatus Bagnal populations after the application of BionemC (Heterorhabditis amazonensis Andaló et al. strain HC1) and e-codaoleoK in three common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars treated with biostimulants and biofertilizers with proven effectiveness in the crop. The experimental work was carried out on the “El Violento 1” farm, in San José de las Lajas municipality, Mayabeque province. Weekly samples were taken from the upper and middle strata of 30 plants of the cultivars 'Triunfo 70', 'Cul 156', and 'Coral 10’ . In each plant, the number of adults was recorded and samples of leaves and flowers were taken for identification at the Entomology - Acarology Laboratory of the National Center for Animal and Plant Health (CENSA). Of the adult samples analyzed in the laboratory, 83 5% belonged to the species M. usitatus. The cultivar 'Cul 156' showed the highest population density with 8,25 individuals per plant. The application of bioproducts, the tactics used at planting, and the times when both e-codaoleoK and the entomopathogenic nematodes were introduced facilitated achieving satisfactory yields. The best yields were obtained by the cultivar 'Triunfo 70', its shorter cycle allowed it to escape the pest damages.

First report of Brachyplatys subaeneus (Westwood, 1837) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae) in Cuba

2025-02-08T19:55:45+00:00

The objectives of this work were to determine the species of a new pest associated with Fabaceae in the province of Guantánamo and offer farmers the information for its recognition and dissemination . Samples of the invasive bug were collected in the snap bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) (Fabaceae) crops at the Farm ¨Wilfredo Machado¨ (Lat. 20.081126; Long. -74.630734), located in the municipality of Imías, Guantánamo, Cuba. The insects were taken to the Central Laboratory for Plant Quarantine (LCCV) of the National Plant Protection System and Matanzas University (UM) for their identification following Rédei´s criteria. The characteristics of parameres allowed confirming the presence of Brachyplatys subaeneus (Westwood, 1837) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae). The diagnostic characters of the species are illustrated. This work is the first report of B. subaneus in Cuba. Surveillance of this invasive species and studies on its economic damages and host plants are suggested.

Capsicum chinense Jacq, new host of tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) in Cuba

2025-02-08T20:32:10+00:00

The present study aimed at identifying the viral agent associated with orthotospovirus-like symptoms on hot chili habanero bell pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq) plants growing in a protected cultivation system area in Caimito municipality, Artemisa province. For this purpose, a group of symptomatic samples were collected at this location in May 2022, and they were tested by Double Antibody Sandwich- Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (DAS-ELISA) with specific antibodies for tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV). Seven samples with necrosis and necrotic ringspots were positive for the virus. Mechanical inoculation on Nicotiana glutinosa L. and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) produced local necrotic lesions and systemic necrosis, respectively. Reverse transcription-PCR with TCSV species-specific primers produced a fragment of approximately 948 bp size that confirmed TCSV infection. This is the first evidence of the presence of orthotospovirus in C. chinense in Cuba. Several thrips specimens were collected from the foliage of symptomatic plants. The insects were morphologically identified as Thrips palmi Karni and Frankliniella cephalica (Crawford), two recognized vectors of orthotospoviruses, but not of TCSV. In Cuba, this viral species and its insect vectors are widely distributed in tomato and pepper production areas. Its presence in the hot chili habanero bell pepper crop is a high risk for its production and export and accentuates the need for continuous surveillance of the TCSV-vector-host pathosystem to minimize potential damages to economically important crops.

Occurrence of two new groups of Candidatus phytoplasmas infecting soybean in Cuba

2024-08-12T00:51:00+00:00

New symptoms similar to those induced by phytoplasmas, but different from those reported to date, were observed on soybean plants, so the objective of this research was to determine the possible presence of other groups of phytoplasmas infecting soybean crops in Cuba. Fifty-seven soybean plants showing symptoms of blistering and severe leaf mosaic were collected in several localities of the Cuban eastern region in 2014 and analysed by nested-PCR with primers targeting the 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA). Phytoplasmas were detected in 31.58 % of symptomatic soybean plants. Conventional and in silico RFLP analyses of 16S rDNA sequences revealed the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’ and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’ strains. Phytoplasmas belonging to the proposed new ribosomal subgroup 16SrIII-Z and the ribosomal subgroup 16SrIX-A were identified. Phylogenetic analysis corroborated the RFLP analyses, in which the Cuban 16SrIII-Z and 16SrIX-A subgroups formed a clade with representative sequences of the 16SrIII and 16SrIX groups, respectively. 16SrIII-Z was the most widespread subgroup (72.22 % of positive samples). This is the first report of phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrIII and 16SrIX groups occurring in soybean in the country.

Agroecological transition in Musa x paradisiaca L. 'Giant Dwarf' variety in Tecomán, Colima, México

2024-07-19T06:49:46+00:00

The objective of this work was to compare an agroecological transition system with the conventional type regarding growth, yield and cultivation profitability of banana (Musa x paradisiaca L.) 'Giant Dwarf' variety. The work was carried out on a farm in the Cofradía de Hidalgo ejido, municipality of Tecomán, Colima. The agroecological transition treatment was based on application of earthworm (e/15 days) leachate; the fungi (e/25 days) Trichoderma harzianum Rifai, Baeuveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill, and Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson; and 75 kg/ha of the physical mixture Yara (14 N-03 P-30 K-3 S-2 Mg- 0.18 Zn -0.12 B) + 35 Ca every 30 days. The conventional system was 250 kg/ha of the same fertilizer mixture at intervals of 30 days plus the use of agrochemicals for pest control, according to the producer's management during a cycle. Plant height, leaves, pseudostem diameter, cluster weight, rachis weight, hands, third hand fingers, fruit length, fruit diameter, yield and the benefit/cost ratio were evaluated. An ANOVA was used for repeated measures over time with 10 repetitions per treatment. The agroecological transition system presented the best phenological results and generated a better b/c ratio of 3.46 than the 1.53 ratio of the conventional system. This agroecological system reduced conventional fertilization by 70 % in addition to avoiding the use of agrochemicals in pest control, with better pheno

Solanum lycopersicum L.- root knot nematode: effect of biochar and Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg on pathosystem

2024-08-19T07:53:56+00:00

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of rice husk biochar and Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg (Ta.90 strain) on development of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. 'Elbita' and a Cuban population of Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood. The experiment was carried out at the National Center for Agricultural Health, Cuba, from June 5 to August 30, 2022. Under semi-controlled conditions, 1 kg pots containing 25 % organic fertilizer, 25 % Biochar and 50 % sterile soil were inoculated with 0.5 J₂ per gram of soil . At 72 hours after transplanting, five ml of a suspension of T. asperellum strain Ta.90 with 10⁸ CFU.ml^-1 was added per pot. The treatments were healthy tomato plant (absolute control), Tomato + Biochar, Tomato + Ta.90, Tomato + Organic Fertilizer, Tomato + M. incognita, Tomato + M. incognita + Ta.90, Tomato + M. incognita + Biochar, Tomato + M. incognita + Organic fertilizer, Tomato + M. incognita + Biochar + Ta.90, Tomato + Biochar + Ta.90 + Organic fertilizer, Tomato + M. incognita + Biochar + Ta.90 + Organic Fertilizer. At 60 days, plant height, stem diameter, root length, number of leaves and root fresh weight were evaluated in the plants, and the root gall index (RGI) of the plants and the number of eggs per female of the nematode were determined. The data were compared by ANOVA, and the difference between the means was determined by the Tukey Test (p≤0.05) of the SAS 9.0 statistical package. The joint application of T. asperellum strain Ta.90 and biochar enriched with organic fertilizer significantly reduced the number of eggs per nematode female and RGI observed in the control without application. In all treatments where T. asperellum strain Ta.90 was applied, the negative effect of the nematode was attenuated on development indicators such as height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and plant aerial part fresh weight.

Meta-analysis of management tactics for trips that affect potato cultivation

2024-07-01T09:01:04+00:00

The objective of this work was to identify the most effective management tactics in the control of thrips that affect potato cultivation in Cuba. For this, a systematic review and a meta-analysis, as a statistical technique, were done. The Google Scholar, Redalcyc, and Scielo databases were used. Articles published between 2010 and 2022 were included. In the meta-analysis, 16 articles were selected, which met the following inclusion criteria: I) the evaluated thrips are included among those that affect potato cultivation, II) management is directly addressed to thrips, III) the treatments of some product or management technique are compared, IV) the experiments were carried out in the open field or in semi-controlled areas, and V) the statistics corresponding to the initial populations and to those after the application of the treatments are offered. A database was created with a total of 62 treatments. The effect size and its 95 % confidence interval were calculated and the Forest-plot graph was made. All the described treatments decreased the populations of thysanoptera. In the studies analyzed, the treatment with the greatest effect, turned out to be the combination of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill with the resistance inducer Potassium silicate. Other tactics, such as use of entomopathogenic nematodes, were also effective treatments for management of thrips affecting potato crops with an effectiveness of around 50 %.

Severity of Puccinia melanocephala (sydow and p. Sydow) on sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Cultivars

2025-02-08T19:37:04+00:00

The objective of the work was to evaluate the infection severity of Puccinia melanocephala (Sydow and P. Sydow) on leaves of the six most widespread sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) cultivars in the Mayabeque area, Cuba. A 48 m² plot of each cultivar ('CP52-43', 'C86-12', 'C86-56', 'C90-469', 'C323-68' and 'C1051-73') was planted randomly distributed in the experimental block of the Mayabeque Sugarcane Research Institute. In each plot, the leaf + 1 of ten plants was randomly marked in the plant cane cultivar and in the first ratoon at three, nine, and thirteen months and three, six and nine months of age, respectively. The evaluations were carried out on these leaves each seven days, considering their position and the appearance of symptoms. The infection degrees and severity of the disease were determined using a five-grade scale, taking into account the length of the pustules. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the statistical processing (p≤ 0.05). The infection of the fungus in the plants began on the marked leaf when it occupied the + 1 position on the stalk. Severity of brown rust was observed to increase between 14 and 35 days after marking the leaves, but it decreased with increasing plantation age. The highest severity values were reached by the cultivars 'C323-68' and 'C90-469'.

Obtaining positive controls for the detection of two polymorphic regions in Cuban strains of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’

2025-02-08T19:55:41+00:00

“Huanglongbing” (HLB) is currently the most destructive disease of citrus worldwide. The detection, identification and genetic diversity studies of strains of its main associated agent ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ were limited to the use of housekeeping genes. Because of the increasing availability of complete genome sequences of different ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ strains from different countries, regions inside the genome of these bacteria having greater variability have been successfully implemented for its characterization, including microsatellites, prophage genes and miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs). In the present work, six Cuban strains of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ with different geographical origins (Western, Central and Eastern regions) were included. Two polymorphic markers (prophage types and MITEs) were used to verify the presence of genetic diversity among the strains. The combination of the information obtained from detecting markers allowed verifying the strain differentiation according to the length of the amplified bands. The detected strains are important controls necessary to guarantee the performance and interpretation of tests using these molecular markers. The PCR systems used will allow a fast and improved characterization of the bacterial populations present in Cuba. This is the first report of the detection of polymorphic regions in the genome of Cuban strains of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’.

Infectivity of Fusarium spp., causal agents of potato dry rot, and their biological control

2025-02-08T20:53:21+00:00

The objectives of this work were to verify the infectivity of two isolates of Fusarium spp. (Fp-1 and Fp-2) in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and select promising strains of Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg for their control. Infectivity tests were determined by two assays: inoculated potato seed tubers and soil inoculated with Fusarium spp isolates. The antagonistic activity (antibiosis, competition for space, and mycoparasitism) of the T. asperellum strains was evaluated by the dual culture method. In the experiment with inoculated tubers, seedlings with damaged stems, reduced leaf numbers, and rotten roots, which finally died, were observed In the inoculated soil, seedlings with reduced size and reduced stem diameter were observed with symptoms progressing daily. All strains of the antagonist fungus tested inhibited the development of the phytopathogenic fungi after 48 h. The T. asperellum strains were located in class 1 of the Bell scale. The strain Ta. 79 stood out with the highest percentage of growth inhibition of the phytopathogenic fungi, with maximum values of 44.48% and 36.84% for Fp-1 and Fp-2, respectively. The strains Ta. 1 and Ta. 78 stood out for their mycoparasitic effect against the isolate Fp-1, and Ta. 79 did on the isolate Fp-2. From the comprehensive analysis of the antagonism of the T. asperellum strains, it was concluded that Ta. 1, Ta. 28, Ta. 78, and Ta.79 were the most promising strains to control Fusarium spp. in potato.

Genera of parasitic nematodes of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) roots in Los Ríos province, Ecuador

2025-03-07T06:13:32+00:00

The objective of the research was to determine the frequency, population density, and interrelation of the main genera of phytoparasitic nematodes in commercial banana plantations in the province of Los Ríos, Ecuador. Composite samples of roots from plants aged nine to twelve months were taken in 17 banana farms. The samples were processed at the Agricultural Nematology laboratory of the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP), Quevedo, Ecuador. The extraction, identification to genus level, and quantification of the phytonematodes were carried out by conventional methods. Different ecological and parasitic parameters were determined: frequencies, densities and value of prominences (absolute and relative), Simpson, Shannon and Margalef diversity indices. Simple correlation analyzes were performed between Meloidogyne and the rest of the phytonematodes. The farms were associated according to the nematode population densities through cluster analysis. The nematodes with the greatest relative importance on roots were Helicotylenchus, Radopholus, Pratylenchus, and Meloidogyne, in that order. Radopholus was distributed in 100% of the areas, Helicotylenchus in 88.24%, followed by Pratylenchus in 70.59% and Meloidogyne spp. in 52.94%, the lowest distribution. The largest number of individuals corresponded to Helicotylenchus and Radopholus, being the genera most disseminated and with the highest prominence value on the roots. The observed relationships were positive between Meloidogyne and Helicotylenchus, but antagonistic between Meloidogyne and Radopholus and Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus. Differences in the composition and structure of the nematode communities between the farms were also observed. These results indicate the need for implementing local management alternatives for phytoparasitic nematodes to reduce their populations and damage in banana plantations without affecting beneficial organisms.