Insect and mite pests of pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait.) in Japan.

Tadashi Ishikawa,Ken Takahata

doi:10.3897/bdj.7.e36453

Abstract

To further increase the basic knowledge regarding the establishment of pest control for pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait.), we conducted surveys of pepino pests in Japan. Thirty-four insect and four mite species were recognized as pests of pepino plants in the present study. Including the results of previous studies, a total of 41 species of insects and mites have been reported as pests of pepino plants in Japan. Three species, namely onion thrips (Thrips tabaci), two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae), and cotton whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), are likely the most important insect and mite pests of pepino plants, because they were collected from more than half of the study sites and were much more abundant on pepino plants than the other pest species.

Highlights

Pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait., the Spanish name for sweet cucumber) is a solanaceous plant cultivated as a fruit crop and native to the Andes
The reason for this may be that the number of pests of pepino plants recognized in Japan is rather low compared to those of other popular solanaceous crops such as tomato (S. lycopersicum), eggplant (S. melongena), potato (S. tuberosum), and green pepper (Capsicum annuum) (The Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology 2006)
They consisted of 34 hexapod species belonging to 17 families in seven orders and four mite species in one family and one order (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait., the Spanish name for sweet cucumber) is a solanaceous plant cultivated as a fruit crop and native to the Andes. Few studies have been conducted on pests of pepino plants in Japan The reason for this may be that the number of pests of pepino plants recognized in Japan is rather low compared to those of other popular solanaceous crops such as tomato (S. lycopersicum), eggplant (S. melongena), potato (S. tuberosum), and green pepper (Capsicum annuum) (The Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology 2006). This low number of pests is attributable to the small area in which studies have been conducted on pepino, which has a radius of 250 m at most (Kim et al 2017). In order to develop an accurate understanding of pests of pepino plants, it is necessary to conduct research across an extensive area of Japan

Methods

Results

Conclusion