Potencial de plantas aromáticas en la entomofauna y calidad del rambután (Nephelium lappaceum L.)

Abstract

Rambutan acreage in the Soconusco, region of Mexico, Chiapas is over 2000 hectares, mostly under monocultural agrosystems based on the high use of external inputs. The experiment was carried out from august 2013 to june 2014 in a four year-old plantation (from planting), located in the Huixtla municipality, Chiapas; with the objective of evaluating the allelopathic and attractive potential of aromatic plants on the entomofauna and commercial quality of rambutan, three plant species were evaluated: Origanum vulgare, Ocimum basilicum and Tagetes erecta , associated with the cultivation of rambutan; under an experimental design in random blocks with four treatments and five repetitions where indicators of abundance, food habit of insects and quality of fruits of rambutan were measured. The results showed that the aromatic plants increase the abundance of insects, with a total of 13 481 individuals distributed in 13 orders and 87 families; 32.00 % corresponds to insects associated with Ocimum basilicum , 30.03 % Origanum vulgare , 21.07 % to the control and 16.88 % to Tagetes erecta . Ocimum basilicum had the highest percentage of beneficial insects (2.08 %), O. vulgare (1.15), T. erecta (1.11), the control being lower (0.85 %); however, O vulgare presented the highest number of mealy bugs. In the reproductive phase there are differences in the dates of flowering and anthesis; where, O. basilicum has a precocity of 17 days with respect to the traditional system. The parameters of commercial quality (weight and soluble solids) are improved with the association of aromatic plants, mainly with Tagetes erecta .