Resumen

ESCALANTE, Marlyn et al. Diagnosis and evaluation of pestalotiopsis, and insect vectors,  in an oil palm plantation at the South of Maracaibo Lake, Venezuela. Bioagro [online]. 2010, vol.22, n.3, pp.211-216. ISSN 1316-3361.

The Pestalotiopsis or gray leaf blight is a severe disease in Venezuelan plantations of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) that causes important yield losses. In order to diagnose and evaluate the severity of the disease and the abundance of inductive insects, foliar samples coming from the upper, medium and lower portions of the canopy were taken each other week. For the evaluation, apical, media and basal part of the leaves were considered. The fungal genera related to the disease were Pestalotiopsis and Curvularia, and the inductive insect in the zone was Leptopharsa gibbicarina (Hemiptera: Tingidae). The disease increased its severity as it descended in the canopy, but equally affected any part of the leaf. The populations of L. gibbicarina were more abundant in the medium and lower portion of the plant canopy. A model that explains the behavior of the disease was developed. These results may be useful to design strategies of management of this fungi complex, mainly based in the integrated management of the inductive insect, thus assuring stable solutions in time.

Palabras clave : Elaeis guineensis; Curvularia; Leptopharsa gibbicarina.