Determination of the Major Spinach ( Spinacia Oleracea ) Pests In Cota,Colombia

In the municipality of Cota (Cundinamarca) an average of 90 ha of spinach is planted annually. There is currently no information on the arthropod pests that attack this crop. Growers, however, frequently apply insecticides for their control, including: organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, organosulfides and plant extracts. In this study, the major arthropod pests were identified and the damage caused to spinach was described in Cota. The spatial distribution of some arthropods was determined and a sampling size is proposed based on the observations made. The major arthropod pests found in spinach crops were: Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Acari: Acaridae), Delia sp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Clavipalpus ursinus (Blanchard) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae), thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Within this group the major damage was related to the presence of the mite T. putrescentiae and larvae of Delia sp. The major damage observed was leaf curling; there was a high correlation (r = 0.80) between this symptom and the presence of T. putrescentiae colonies. Larvae of Delia sp. bore into spinach roots during establishment of the plant and feed on the young leaves during development of the foliage. T. putrescentiae and Delia sp. have an aggregated distribution.