Infestation of Xyleborus volvulus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Mangifera indica L. (Mangifera: Anacardiaceae) in Manzanillo, Colima

Ambrosia beetles are a natural part of the wood decomposition processes in ecosystems; however, some exotic species can cause serious problems in economically important crops, or seriously threaten native plant species (Sobel et al. 2015). Outstanding examples confirming this are the introduction of Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and Euwallacea sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) ambrosia beetles (Pisani et al. 2015), native to Asia, but introduced into the USA near Savannah, Georgia

Especies de xyleborus (coleoptera: curculionidae: scolytinae) asociados a huertos de aguacate en Colima, México.

The presence of three ambrosia beetle species of Xyleborus genus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) were recorded in avocado trees (Persea americana) from Colima, México; they were Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, X. volvulus Fabricius, and X. spinulosus Blandford. Se registra la presencia de tres especies de escarabajos ambrosiales del género Xyleborus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) en árboles de aguacate (Persea americana) de Colima, México. Se trata de Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, X. volvulus Fabricius, y X. spinulosus Blandford.

Adult <i>Diaphorina citri</i> Biocontrol Using <i>Hirsutella citriformis</i> Strains and Gum Formulations

Hirsutella citriformis Speare is the only entomopathogenic fungus that has been applied to control the hemipteran Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. However, the use of available commercial products under field conditions is limited due to conidia’s shelf life and short environmental persistence. We have previously reported the citrus psyllid D. citri adults’ biocontrol potential using H. citriformis strains. The aim of the present study was to evaluate different formulations based on H. citriformis (OP-Hir-3, OP-Hir-10, and OP-Hir-12 strains) conidia and gums as additives to improve D. citri adults’ biocontrol, under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions, using Hirsutella gums as conidia stabilizers to improve their viability under environmental drought conditions and as insecticide. Laboratory bioassay results showed that the highest (p D. citri mortality was achieved using FOP-Hir-10GH (63.5%), followed by the Hirsutella gum control (42.2%). Under greenhouse conditions, adults’ mortality reached up to 84.6% with FOP-Hir-12 and 49.0% with Hirsutella gum. In addition, we applied H. citriformis formulations under field conditions in a commercial citrus grove located in Tecomán, Colima, México, at 21.5 °C and 73.3% relative humidity (RH) in March and 25.7 °C and 72.5% RH in October 2022 and observed 67.3% and 94.0% mortality of D. citri adults, respectively. Hirsutella gum alone showed significant insecticidal activity against D. citri adults. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that Hirsutella gum functioned as additive to H. citriformis conidia formulations, improving D. citri adults’ mortality and showing potential for this pest biocontrol in citrus orchards