Coccinellids and their functional role as bioregulators of pests in crops in the province of Ciego de Avila

Abstract

The present research was carried out at the La Cruz Verde Farm and the Bioplant Center, at the Maximo Gomez Baez University, also at the La Cuba Various Crops Company in Ciego de Ávila, in the period from September 2020 to April 2022 with the objective of determining the coccinellids present in corn, beans, sorghum, and banana and their functional role in these crops. To collect and take samples of the insects, periodic inspections were carried out once a week in the field, for this the entomological network was used, as well as the use of manual collection techniques, in order to facilitate the capture of harmful and beneficial insectile agents. For their identification and taxonomic classification, they were taken to the Entomology laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, to the provincial Plant Health laboratory, to the National Institute of Plant Health and to the Department of Plant Health of the Central University of Las Villas. As a result, achieved, it was determined that in the province of Ciego de Avila in the crops of corn, beans, sorghum, and banana there is a richness of 8 species of coccinellids that are grouped into six genera, the most important being Cycloneda sangre. Furthermore, it was possible to analyze the functional role that coccinellids perform on insects that attack crops of great economic importance such as corn, beans, sorghum and banana. In the research, it was confirmed that coccinellids prey on insects of various genera and families, with the order Hemiptera and the family Aphidae being of greatest relevance, since we confirmed that their preferred delicacy is aphids.