Identification of the main pests affected by pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus Britt and Rose) in Carazo, Nicaragua, 2018

Abstract

Pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus, Britt and Rose) is a plant that belongs to the cactaceae family, in Nicaragua it is sown mainly in the departments of Masaya and Carazo, about 700 hectares of pitahaya are reported, indicating that Nicaragua is the main producer in Central America with a national production of more than 6,160 tons, of which more than 50% are exported. In Nicaragua there is little information regarding the main pests that affect the pitahaya crop and there are no exhaustive reports of primary pests, for this reason a study was established with the aim of identifying the main pests present in the pitahaya crop in La Concha municipality, Masaya, the research was carried out between the months of July to November 2017, the pitahaya genotypes evaluated were Orejona, Rosa, Lisa, Chocoya, Sabaneña, and Espinuda. The study design used in non-experimental qualitative research that is based on the descriptive method, a form of applied research where there is no manipulation of variables. 9 orders and 40 families of insects were found associated with pitahaya, the most dominant families were in Palo Solo Farm Phycitidae and Noctuidae and in Panamá Farm it was Chrysopidae and Hesperiidae