Field Studies on the Tomato Bug Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Heteroptera : Miridae) on Different Solanaceous Crops

Abstract

The tomato bug Nesidiocoris tenuis ( Heteroptera: Miridae) is a mirid bug with zoophytophagous feeding behavior (feed on plants and several insect pests of solanaceous crops. A field experiment in farm located in Kafr El Sheikh region were carried out during two seasons (2015 /16 and 2016 /17). During February and May plantation in years of 2015 and 2016, the highest peak of abundance of tomato bug recorded in May plantation in tomato plants during the two years and represented by 198 and 177 individuals, respectively. A significant difference was found between February plantation and May plantation on the populations of tomato bug. Eggplant and pepper showed no significant differences during the two plantations. The population abundance of N. tenuis increased with the weekly increasing of insect pest's populations which gives a strong typical predator response to prey availability. Predator: Prey ratio showed a narrowed range for the tomato bug and main insect pests in tomato plants during February plantation and ranged about 1:11in year 2015 and 1:10in year 2016.Meanwhile, in in May plantation during the two years and recorded a very narrowed ratio 1:5 during the two successive years 2015 and 2016 . During the two year in February plantations there were highly positive correlations effects among the total main insect pests and N. tenuis on tomato plants. While low and negative correlations were found on eggplant and pepper plants. Meanwhile in May plantations a highly positive correlation was found between the total main insect pests and N. tenuis on tomato and eggplant .Results revealed that, the tomato bug N. tenuis not appear on pepper plants in May plantation during the two years .