Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) is the most destructive citrus disease. Two of the three known HLB-associated CandidatusLiberibacter species were recently found to be present in the Americas. In this study, eggs, nymphs and adults of Diaphorinacitri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and suspect citrus plant materials were collected in 25 municipalities in the departments of Cundinamarca, Santander, Valle del Cauca, Meta and Quindio (Colombia). The detection sensitivity, specificity and assay performance of the 16S rDNA-based real-time PCR (qPCR) were validated for the field survey of the disease in Colombia. The validation confirmed the reliability and robustness of the real-time PCR method for the detection of HLB bacteria in host citrus plant tissues and the vector D. citri. The diagnosis was performed for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Ca. L. asiaticus) and for Candidatus Liberibacter americanus (Ca. L. americanus) on 168 citrus plant material samples and 239 insect samples. Neither Ca. L. asiaticus nor Ca. L. americanus were detected in the host plants or insects vector, confirming the absence of the disease in the citrus-producing areas of Colombia.

Se estudió la biología, ciclo de vida, eficiencia y descripción taxonómica de Copidosoma n. sp. (Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae) parasitoide del perforador del fruto del tomate de árbol (Ciphomandra betacea Sent) Neoleucinodes Elegantalis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae). Entre los años 2006 y 2007 se visitaron predios en Cundinamarca con este cultivo, se recolectaron frutos infestados por N. Elegantalis, éstos se llevaron al Laboratorio de Diagnóstico Fitosanitario y Molecular del ICA–Tibaitatá. De los frutos emergían larvas de la plaga parasitadas por Copidosoma. n. sp., en forma de momias, se colocaron en frascos de vidrio hasta la emergencia de los adultos del parasitoide. Se encontró que el huevo ovarial es característico del género, con longitud de 0,14 ± 0,01 mm, 0,02 mm de ancho. La larva blanca crema tarda 12,81 ± 2 días y mide 1,87 ± 0,15 mm. La pupa exarata hialina que al madurar se torna oscura, tarda 18,44 ± 2,11 días y mide 1,48 ± 0,05 mm. El tiempo promedio de desarrollo desde parasitación a emergencia del fruto es de 28 días 80 y 29,4 ± 2,29 días en estado de momia, para un total de 58 días de desarrollo. La hembra mide 1,41 ± 0,13 mm y el macho 1,49 ± 0,12 mm. Con alimento el adulto vive 5,96 ± 4,1 días y sin alimento, 3,8 ± 1,09 días. Se obtuvo un total de 68 larvas momificadas a partir de 117 colectadas. Su distribución regional mostró un 57,01 y 100% de parasitoidismo en la región del Sumapaz y de Oriente, respectivamente. Taxonómica y morfológicamente es diferente a otras especies del género según diagnóstico del experto mundial en la familia Encyrtidae.

Dasiops spp. are the most important pest in cultivated Passiflora plants. Larvae of these fruit flies are herbivores, feeding on flower buds and fruit of yellow passionfruit, sweet granadilla, banana passionfruit and purple passionfruit crops located in Cundinamarca and Boyaca, Colombia. Geographic distribution, natural abundance and percentage of parasitoidism for every Dasiops species by each plant species were determined. Aganaspis pelleranoi (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) was found to be a parasitoid of D. inedulis (14.19-50.00%), infesting flower buds of yellow passionfruit and fruit of sweet granadilla (7.41%). Microcrasis sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was found to be parasitizing both D.gracilis (0.83-3.13%) and D. inedulis (0.83%) in purple and yellow passionfruit. Trichopria sp. and Pentapria sp. (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) were found to be parasitizing D. inedulis (40.00% and 4.17-20.00%, respectively) and D. gracilis (1.69-22.22% and 1.67-29.17%, respectively) in purple passion fruit. Dasiops caustonae was found to be infesting banana passionfruit only in Boyaca, naturally parasitized by Pentapria sp. (11.11-33.33%). Because Pentapria sp. had a wide geographical distribution as an idiobiont of Dasiops spp. pupae, in all of the assessed cultivated Passiflora species, despite a high selection pressure by chemical control distributed at regular calendar intervals, it would be a crucial strategy in pest management control. Collecting fallen flower buds and fruit infested by Dasiops spp. is important to truncate the life cycle of fruit flies and allow emergence of parasitoids. This simple cultural strategy could have important implications in reducing production costs, increased crop yields and environmental care.

Four DNA citrus plant tissue extraction protocols and three methods of DNA extraction from vector psyllid Diaphorina citriKuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) were compared as part of the validation process and standardization for detection of huanglongbing (HLB). The comparison was done using several criterias such as integrity, purity and concentration. The best quality parameters presented in terms of extraction of DNA from plant midribs tissue of citrus, were cited by Murray and Thompson (1980) and Rodríguez et al. (2010), while for the DNA extraction from psyllid vectors of HLB, the best extraction method was suggested by Manjunath et al.(2008).

Thrips samples were collected from cotton crops in the Andean region of the Magdalena warm valley, an area represented by the Colombian departments of Tolima, Huila and Cundinamarca. Ten cotton plants were randomly selected per hectare in each plot. Five young leaves, five floral buds, five opened flowers and five bolls or fruits were inspected. Immature stages were separated from the adults and a first classification was made according to the present thrips morphotypes, separating the adults of possible S. dorsalis specimens from the others. T-Student and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed in order to find statistical differences between the different evaluated variables. The selectivity of S. dorsalis for each plant structure was determined by Z tests, Spearman correlation analysis and the Bray-Curtis similarity index. Scirtothrips dorsalis was found in 77% (n = 46) of the inspected sites. The species exhibited greater affinity to the boll, followed by young leaves and buds. Opened flowers constituted a resource not frequented by the pest with a similarity range of I = 0.8 (<1). It is suggested that cotton plants are hosts to the thrips species; it means that the pest life cycle is highly associated to the cotton production in the Andean region. The importance of the results related to the cotton production and other crops associated to the insect species in the region is discussed.