Estudio exploratorio para identificar él o los agentes causantes de la mancha blanca en frutos de Solanum betaceum en la granja El Romeral en el cantón Guachapala

Abstract

Solanum betaceum, better known as tree tomato, is an economically important crop in the province of Azuay, Ecuador. However, the presence of spotted immature fruit is a common problem, resulting in blemished and discolored harvest fruit, affecting the farmers' economy. The present study was conducted in Guachapala Canton during the period from October 2023 to February 2024. We performed visual analysis of spotted fruit and took vegetal tissue samples, which were analyzed using microscope techniques, revealing typical fruit yeasts. The aim of the study was to investigate infestations of leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus zonatus) and green peach aphids (Myzus persicae) in S. betaceum fruit, resulting in the appearance of white necrotic lesions around the area attacked by L. zonatus. However, these lesions are symmetrical and do not disperse along the fruit. Furthermore, they produce corky tissue beneath the punctures caused by the feeding of the insect in question. This blemish differs in shape and distribution in the fruit compared to the blemish observed in Guachapala crops. Microscopic analysis of the tissue showed a difference between the tissue of fruit attacked by L. zonatus, which produced corky tissue, while fruit with white blemishes did not show corky tissue, only chlorotic but not dead tissue. The green peach aphid M. persicae does not cause damage to isolated S. betaceum fruit