Abstract

PINEDA, Maria; BACCA, Tito  and  LAGOS-BURBANO, Tulio César. Selection of introductions of lulo Solanum spp. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to the attack of the fruit borer Neoleucinodes elegantalis Guenée. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2023, vol.27, n.2, pp.73-86.  Epub Apr 12, 2024. ISSN 0123-3068.  https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2023.27.2.4.

The fruit borer Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée, 1854) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is considered the main pest of lulo (Solanum spp.) crop in Colombia. The feeding activity of the larvae causes severe damages to the fruit pulp, and its control depends mainly on the use of chemical insecticides. The evaluation of endemic genetic resources can offer plant alternatives based on resistance to be included in sustainable management strategies for this pest. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate 23 local introductions of lulo to N. elegantalis to attacks in order to identify potential sources of resistance or tolerance to the pest. During a nine-month open field cultivation cycle, eight evaluations of the following variables were carried out: percentage of N. elegantalis infestation, fruit weight, fruit equatorial diameter, thickness of the exocarp and the mesocarp, number of trichomes, and hardness. The results of the Pearson correlation path analysis allowed determining that the most important variable was the number trichomes on the fruit. These results allowed classifying three selections that showed resistance (PL-35) or tolerance (SqEFma017 and Sqm36) to the attack of N. elegantalis, and that have great potential to develop genetic improvement programs for lulo cultivation with the objective of sustainably controlling the attack of the fruit borer.

Keywords : resistance; tolerance; fruit borer; Solanum quitoense; naranjilla.

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