Quality and yield of the Cucumis sativus var. Jawell crop under two pest control systems in the Sonoran desert, Mexico

Abstract: Objective: Compare in cucumber cultivation a commercial pest control program vs a biological pest control program evaluating quality and production parameters. Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out in glass greenhouses classified as high technology, under a cooling system consisting of wet walls and extractors, heating that works by irradiation, automated irrigation. Two treatments were evaluated: biological control of pests in area A and the second, a commercial control program in area B, both in Persian cucumber (Cucumis sativus) of the Jawell variety. Each area of 160 m², in separate areas. One plant was considered as an experimental unit, the total of experimental units were 41, 600 plants for each area, 80 grooves were considered within each area with a length of 100 meters with 52 pillows of coconut fiber, whose pillows contain five cubes of rockwool with a plant two heads each cube, giving a total of 10 plants per pillow and 520 plants per groove. The average planting density was 3.42 plants / m². The biological control program consisted of releasing the mite (Amblyseius swirskii) for the control of thrips; the release of the wasp (Aphidius colemani) for aphid control; mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) and (Amblyseius californicus) for the control of red spider mites and the application of the entomopathogenic nematode (Steinernema fetiae). The commercial-chemical control was in accordance with COFEPRIS (2019). The chemical products Actara (Thiametoxam), Beleaf (Flonicamid), Confidor 350 sc (Imidacloprid), Plenum 50 gs (Pymetrozine) and Talstar 100 CE (Biphentrine) were applied to control aphids. Tracer (Spinosad), Exalt (Spinetoram) and Beleaf (Flonicamid) for thrips control. Agirmec (Abamectina) and Talstar (Bifentrina) for the control of red spider, and finally Trigard (Cyromazina) for the control of fungus gnat larvae. The evaluated variables were fruit quality, total production and incidence of pests. A completely randomized experimental design was applied. To analyze the total number of boxes produced, the statistical T-Student test was used for normal data between two independent samples and the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the variables weight quality and weight loss with the data obtained, with a level of significance of P³0.05 to determine differences. A correlation (r) was made between the incidence of thrips (Thrips tabaci) and the incidence of the biological control Amblyseius swirskii, to compare the biological control (A) and the commercial control (B). Results: The results show that the production method using a biological pest control system was just as efficient as the chemical control program, in variables such as fruit weight, number of quality cucumber boxes obtained and incidence of pests. and its biological control. Limitations on study/implications: It is important to carry out further studies under open-air conditions where biotic and abiotic factors are different and in other regions, in addition to testing other registered biological products. Findings/conclusions: Biological and chemical control are complementary, an integrated control would help to slowly adapt a company for a subsequent application of only biological pest control, facilitating regularization and certification procedures involving the use of chemicals. In this biological control program, a more continuous and distributed release of A. swirskii is proposed during the weeks of cultivation, which will maintain more uniform and constant populations, this to avoid development of high populations of thrips and allow better control of this plague. It is necessary to evaluate both control programs during the spring-summer season to be able to compare the efficiency of these for each season and annually.