ABSTRACT
Arthropods considered viral vectors are early pests in the tomato crop and have the ability to cause direct or indirect damage, especially when there are failures in their management. The aim of this work was to study the incidence and infestation of viral vectors in two systems of pest management for crops of staked tomato. The experiment was carried out on plants of the 'Deborah Mix' of tomato from the 'Santa Clara' group, at a spacing of 1.0 x 0.5 m (rows x plants) under twin-stake, vertical training. The systems evaluated were: Ecological Pest Management (EPM) – with pests being monitored and the decision to apply insecticides made based on the level of infestation; and Conventional - programmed applications, started seven days after transplanting and then carried out twice a week. The highest incidence of B. tabaci occurred under EPM, whereas the greatest incidence of Liriomyza sp. and other species of aphids was seen under the conventional system; for F. schultzei however, no difference was seen for the two systems. Viral vector infestation was seen throughout the crop-training period, but overall, considering all insect pests, there was an 88.14% reduction in the number of applications under MEP. The adopted management system does not affect the incidence or infestation of viral vectors in the crop, but implementation of the MEP system enables a judicious use of pesticides, allowing a reduction in the number of applications, with a consequent reduction in production costs.
Key words:
Pest management; Bemisia sp.; Liriomiza sp.; Frankliniella sp.; Aphids
