LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 

UPDAtING OF PREDATORY BUG REPORTS FOR THE SOYBEAN CROP IN CUBA

 

ACTUALIZACIÓN DE REPORTES DE CHINCHES DEPREDADORAS PARA EL CULTIVO DE LA SOYA EN CUBA

 

Dear Mrs:

Insect pests cause economic losses in soybean production and they are mainly controlled with chemicals in Cuba, the success of soybean integrated pest management could be determined by augmentation of natural enemies but they have not been sufficiently studied. In April 2009, the predatory bugs Andrallus spinidens (Fab.), Podisus sagitta (Fab.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and Paromius longulus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) were found associated with Lepidoptera pests and weeds infesting Conquista and Celeste soybean varieties, cultivated in Madam Farm, Jovellanos municipality. The insects were identified in the Entomology Laboratories of Matanzas and Las Villas Universities according to different heteropterous keys. These species are not mentioned in the last revisions of the heteropterofauna associated with soybean in Cuba. Thus, this paper constitute the first reprt of these species for this crop and it is suggested their inclusion in the beneficial soybean insect list available in our country.

 

L. Marrero Artabe1, María A. Martínez2, H. Grillo Ravelo3, Nadir Vanesa Meneases1

1Universidad de Matanzas¨ Camilo Cienfuegos¨, Matanzas, Cuba.

2Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria, Mayabeque, Cuba.

3Universidad Central ¨Martha Abreu¨ de las Villas, Villa Clara, Cuba.