Determinación del daño potencial de Tupiocoris Cucurbitaceus (Spinola 1852) (Hemiptera: Miridae: Dicyphini) en Solanum Lycopersicum

Mirids are zoophytophagous predators widely used and studied in biological control programs in Europe. In Latin America, Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus is a naturally present species and has several characteristics that give it good potential as a biological control agent. It has the ability to control several pests of tomato crops such as whitefly eggs and nymphs, T. absoluta eggs, and T. urticae adults, among others. It has a wide range of plant hosts, phytophagy allows them to remain in the system during short periods of prey scarcity, they have high fertility and their cycle is relatively fast. Predation represents their main form of feeding and obtaining nutrients, although phytophagy also occurs in a rare and complementary way. Therefore, the objective was to find out if there is damage and loss of yield in the tomato crop caused by T. cucurbitaceus due to the scarcity of prey, conditioning its feeding to the phytophagy; thus, evaluating the potential risk on the optimal development of the tomato crop. To do this, different densities of T. cucurbitaceus were released in experimental cages with tomato plants and in the absence of prey. The results showed that their establishment and permanence in the system is directly related to the abundance of prey, therefore, phytophagy allows them to survive for short periods of time, but they are unable to complete their development without the occurrence of predation. The lesions observed by phytophagy occurred on leaflets and were characterized as scores less than 1mm, rounded and brown to black in color. The number of scores was never greater than 3 per tomato leaflet and its incidence is directly related to the population level of the mirid. No significant effect was observed for the different variables measured in vegetative and reproductive organs for any treatment evaluated.