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Conselleria de Agricultura, Medio Ambiente, Cambio Climatico y Desarrollo Rural (Generalitat Valenciana) S8456000

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Rodrigo, EugeniaCorresponding AuthorBenedito, VicentAuthorXamani, PilarAuthor

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Phenology, biological and cultural control of the new almond pest Eurytoma amygdali (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae) in Spain

Publicated to:Spanish Journal Of Agricultural Research. 22 (4): 20852-20852 - 2024-01-01 22(4), DOI: 10.5424/sjar/2024224-20852

Authors: Rodrigo, Eugenia; Benedito, Vicent; Xamani, Pilar; Baena, Manuel; Ferragut, Francisco

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Abstract

Aim of study: Eurytoma amygdali Enderlein (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae), the almond wasp, is a new pest detected in Spain. Although the insect is present in Europe, in Spain no damage was detected until 2016, increasing substantially in the following years. The phenology of almond wasp and the natural enemies complex were investigated and the results of the parasitism rate and cultural control measures were analyzed. Area of study: Five Spanish provinces, important regions for almond production where E. amygdali causes serious harvest losses Material and methods: Samples of different almond varieties were taken from ecological almond plots in the Spanish provinces of Valencia, Alicante, Albacete, Murcia and Cuenca. Main results: The first almond wasp eggs were observed at the beginning of May and completely developed larvae, early in July. Wasp flight occurred from mid-March to late May. Two natural enemies were associated with the pest, Pyemotes amygdali & Ccedil;obano & gbreve;lu & Do & gbreve;anlar (Acari, Pyemotidae), and Opilo domesticus (Sturm) (Coleoptera, Cleridae). Pyemotes amygdali parasitized wasp larvae, adult females and males, and Opilio domesticus fed on wasp larvae. O. domesticus was very scarce, unlike P. amygdali. In the plots with parasitized wasps, the parasitism rate ranged from 0.6% to 44% for P. amygdali. Our results suggest that sanitation measure was an important cultural pest control practice, because in the plantations where mummified almonds were removed, 96% of edible almonds were harvested, compared to 18% if mummified almonds were not removed from trees. Research highlights: Cultural control could be an important measure to control the almond wasp, because it allows biological conservation control, by preserving natural enemies present in the environment and avoid the negative effect of insecticides.

Keywords

Almond waspBiological cycleDiapausEnd hymFruit waspHarvesNatural enemiesSanitationSeed waspTemperature

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Spanish Journal Of Agricultural Research, and although the journal is classified in the quartile Q3 (Agencia WoS (JCR)), its regional focus and specialization in Agriculture, Multidisciplinary, give it significant recognition in a specific niche of scientific knowledge at an international level.

Impact and social visibility

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Additionally, the work has been submitted to a journal classified as Diamond in relation to this type of editorial policy.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Rodrigo Santamalia, Mª Eugenia) and Last Author (Ferragut, Francisco).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Rodrigo Santamalia, Mª Eugenia.