Abstract

POSADA-FLOREZ, Francisco Javier  and  AREVALO-MALDONADO, Helber Adrián. Leaf miners of avocado (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). Status, identification, damage evaluation and management proposal. rev.udcaactual.divulg.cient. [online]. 2021, vol.24, n.2, e2085.  Epub Dec 06, 2021. ISSN 0123-4226.  https://doi.org/10.31910/rudca.v24.n2.2021.2085.

Avocado has become one of the most important crops in Colombia. During the last two decades, the area planted with avocado has quintuplicated, and it is widespread across a wide range of high-altitude lands growing in monoculture with Hass variety. As the plantation areas increase, new sanitary problems appear, as consequences of the adoption of technical recommendations from other latitudes where the ecosystems do not have laurels and other plants related to avocado. Within the pest species, the leafminers of Lepidoptera are reported, which the main characteristic is that they develop and feed inside the leaves. The damage they cause happens mainly when the population of their natural enemies is affected. The first record of leafminers in Colombia was done from samples collected in one orchard of avocado cv. Hass in Villa Maria, Caldas where a high infestation outbreak happened as a consequence of the pesticide application following calendar spraying to prevent the attack of pests like red spider mites and thrips. The objective of this paper is to present the status of leafminer pest of avocado leaves in Colombia, providing its identification, description of the serpentine and blotch damage, and proposing recommendations for its management. This will inform the scientific community and farmers about the presence of this pest in avocado crop regions in Colombia, contributing to minimize damaging events like the aforementioned.

Keywords : Integrate pest management; Natural enemies; Monoculture; Phyllocnistis perseafolia; Acrocercops sp.; Eulophidae.

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