Validación de indicadores de calidad para la cría masiva de Tamarixia radiata Waterston (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) en Cuba

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality indicators for the mass rearing of Tamarixia radiate Waterston under laboratory conditions. From established quality indicators, the behaviour of the routine parameters for the quality control of Tamarixia radiate on Diaphorina citri Kuwayama was evaluated. Size and length of the middle tibia, emergency percentage, longevity of adults with and without food, deformations, parasitism percentage, and sex ratio were analyzed in 10% of the populations obtained per batch during the rearing process Shewart graphics were constructed with the information obtained. In all generations evaluated, the sex ratio was favorable to females, with a mean of 0.90 ± 0.39. In all cases, the gender analysis showed the female to reach a larger size than the males. No deformations were observed on the wings of the specimens. The mean survival was 2.47 days for females and 1.98 days for males. The parasitism average was 62.58% and the emergency ranged between 74.56 and 80.2%. The indicators were within acceptance values, demonstrating that the production process was under control. The adult average of T. radiata in the ten batches tested was of 340 parasitoids, a value which is within the expected ones, which showed the efficiency of the rearing process under the conditions imposed.