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Insect pests and natural enemies in two varieties of quinua ( Chenopodium quinoa ) at Cusco, Peru
Author(s) -
Yábar E.,
Gianoli E.,
Echegaray E. R.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0418.2002.00664.x
Subject(s) - biology , coccinellidae , aphididae , agromyzidae , braconidae , agronomy , predation , population , homoptera , abundance (ecology) , growing season , botany , pest analysis , predator , ecology , biological pest control , parasitoid , demography , sociology
The abundance of insect pests and natural enemies in two varieties of quinua, Chenopodium quinoa (Blanca de Junín and Amarilla de Maranganí) throughout the growing season in the Southern Peruvian Andes is described. The quinua varieties differ, among other traits, in their content of saponins (secondary metabolites associated to plant resistance) late in the season. Whereas Agromyzidae and Cicadellidae were abundant only in the early season, both Chrysomelidae and Aphididae populations showed fluctuations. Likewise, Araneae and Braconidae showed fluctuating numbers during the season. The abundance of Coccinellidae peaked at mid‐season whereas that of Syrphidae was high only in the late season. Although the overall abundance of insects was very similar in both varieties of quinua, there were different patterns depending on the season. In the early season there was a tendency towards greater insect numbers on Blanca, but in contrast, in the late season Amarilla (the high‐saponin variety) had a higher load of insect pests. This suggests that saponins do not play a major role in quinua resistance against insects. In the early season, no significant relationship between pests and natural enemies held across quinua varieties. In the late season, Aphididae and Coccinellidae were negatively and significantly correlated in both varieties. The temporal population dynamics of Aphididae and both Coccinellidae and Braconidae resembled the traditional predator–prey dynamics.