Consumption and functional response of Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) feeding on immature stages of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

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Heyker L. Baños-Díaz
Tay Ruiz Gil
Marbelys del Toro Benitez
Ileana Miranda Cabrera

Abstract

To determine the capacity of Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter to regulate populations of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius biotype B, the consumption and functional response of the predator to eggs and nymphs of the pest were evaluated on tomato plants as a substrate under laboratory conditions. This predator showed a higher preference for nymphs (α = 0.6) than for eggs. The average of whitefly eggs and nymphs consumed by the mirid in one day was 100 and 192, respectively. The functional response of N. tenuis females to nymphs described a sigmoid curve, which could be classified as type III. The females of N. tenuis were voracious predators for the immature stages of B. tabaci, which makes this natural enemy a viable alternative for the current biological control methods in tomato in Cuba.

Key words: biological control, Cuba, mirid, whitefly, tomatoes.

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How to Cite
Baños-Díaz, H. L., Ruiz Gil, T., del Toro Benitez, M., & Miranda Cabrera, I. (2018). Consumption and functional response of Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) feeding on immature stages of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Revista De Protección Vegetal, 31(3), 217–223. Retrieved from https://revistas.censa.edu.cu/index.php/RPV/article/view/864
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ORIGINAL ARTICLES

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