Tamarixia, the parasitoid that eats the African Psyllid that attacks citrus.
The Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) has spent years looking for ways to combat this insect, for which so far there is no effective treatment. However, one of its investigations seems to be successful. It is the biological control based on Tamarixia dryi, a small insect that parasitizes Trioza.
In this project also collaborates the department of Sanidade Vexetal de la Xunta de Galicia, because this community is the first of the peninsula in which the pest has been detected. Therefore, the next step in the IVIA project was to carry out an experimental release of Tamarixia in the community. “It was a very experimental release, in very specific points and with very few individuals,” says Urbaneja. The same measure was also carried out in Portugal, another country that is also affected by Trioza.
The release was repeated in the Galician community last summer and, on this occasion, on a more massive scale. The researchers are now waiting to see how the Tamarixia evolves in winter, but the first results are very encouraging. “The results we are getting so far are positive. We see that the parasitoid has dispersed very well and we just need to know how it will overwinter,” he adds. If the experience is a success, the system could be applied in other areas of Spain.
News published in La Voz de Galicia on January 22, 2021.