Spatial Analysis of Presence, Injury, and Economic Impact of the Melolonthidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) Complex in Avocado Crops

Abstract

Beetle insect species classified within the Melolonthidae complex (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are a serious pest in several crops around the world including avocado (Persea americana Mill). The present work focused on determining the spatial behavior of the Melolonthidae complex of beetles and determined the economic impact in avocado crops in Antioquia, Colombia, South America. Beetle presence and damage produced in both foliage and fruits were quantified during 3 years for each avocado tree tested in two planted lots located in different places. The indexes of Cambardella, Morisita, and economic losses were calculated with data obtained. Our results strongly suggest that beetles present an isotropic movement in the lots with the damage beginning by the borders. Once insects enter the lots, they move in any direction inside the crop area with weak or moderate spatial dependence and low or null aggregation. Strong preference for fruits rather than foliage was observed. Economic analysis indicates that damage in fruit skin causes major losses. From observed results, it is proposed that integrated pest control should be directed mainly to fruits from the very early stages of growth and development and traps should be localized strategically and following the spatial and temporal distribution of insects for both prevention and control.

Agroclimatic and Phytosanitary Events and Emerging Technologies for Their Identification in Avocado Crops: A Systematic Literature Review

“…In Valencia Arias et al, the authors observed the specific behavioral patterns between Melolonthidae complex beetles and avocado crops to estimate their economic effect on the production of this fruit in Antioquia, Colombia [52]. In this study, adult beetles were collected in the rainy months of the year (March to May) using light traps for three years, and the observations revealed that young leaves and shoots damaged by the pest had the potential to become necrotic following defoliation.…”

“…Additionally, they found that fruit infections caused by these beetles typically manifested as superficial scarring that increased in size as the fruit developed. The distance radius of damage caused by the pest is 15-30 m, which indicates the potential capacity of a beetle to attack a group of up to four avocado trees in the surrounding area [52]. Due to the aesthetic impact caused by these beetles, affected fruit are often labeled as "industrial" avocados, a category considered to be of lower quality.…”

Causes of Hass Avocado Fruit Rejection in Preharvest, Harvest, and Packinghouse: Economic Losses and Associated Variables

“…For damage caused by insects or arthropods, their identification and characterization was performed by using two approaches. The first one followed the characteristic reports that describe damage in the field caused by insect and arthropod pests that affect Hass avocado fruits and how they compromise quality under Colombian tropical conditions [30][31][32][33]. The second approach consisted in the manual capture or through the use of entomological nets of individuals in plots with high levels of insect damage and/or populations on affected structures.…”

Population Dynamics and Estimation of Damage of the Spittlebug Aeneolamia varia on Sugarcane in Colombia by Using remote Sensing and Machine Learning Tools

“…Generally, the implementation of an integrated pest management program entails: (1) sampling and monitoring; (2) determination of the impact on the crop in terms of injury, damage, and loss; (3) application of treatments and evaluation of management practices; (4) forecasts of future population dynamics; and (5) implementation of site-specific agriculture (Brenner et al 1998;Arbogast et al 2000;Binns et al 2000;Ferguson et al 2003). Monitoring and subsequent spatial analysis are key to generating basic information on population dynamics, species detection, behavior, and pest distribution (Binns et al 2000;Deleon et al 2017;Arias et al 2019).…”