Huéspedes y enemigos naturales de Heliothis spp., en la región algodonera del Departamento del Tolima, Colombia

Abstract

From September, 1976, until March, 1979, a study of the cultivated and wild hosts as well as natural enemies of the species of Heliothis (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) in the cotton-growing region of the Department of Tolima, Colombia, was conducted Fom species of Heliothis, subflexus Guenée, tergeminus (Felder and Rogenbofer), virescens Fabricins, and zea (Boddie), were found infesting 7 cultivated and 67 wild hosts All of the 74 hosts except com and grain sórghum were infested by H- virescens. The preferred hosts of this species were cotton and Desmodium tortuosum (Su ) DC. (Papilionareae) H virescens was almost non-existent in tobacco, a principal host of this pest in other parts of the world. In the laboratory H. vitescens 1as able to complete development on some plants that it was not found to be infesting in the ficld including grain sorshum and cowpea. Six paratites and several predators were found attacking Helicthis Cardiochiles nigriceps Vierick (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitized up to 90 percent of the larvae of H virescens collected from D. tostuosum. Eggs of Heliothis escaped parasitism by Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera Trichogammatidae) on several hosts because of the presence of sticky trichomes on the plants which trapped the adult parasites.