Harmful organisms in urban trees in the city of Pinar del Río, Cuba

Abstract

The present study was carried out in the neighborhoods "Hermanos Cruz", "Carlos Manuel", "Montequín" and "Calle Martí" belonging to the municipality of Pinar del Río, with the aim of identifying causal plague organisms associated with urban trees in the city of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. A floristic inventory of forest trees was carried out up to the family and species level, as well as the collection of samples of plant organs with symptoms of parasitic diseases and/or the presence of phytophagous insects. The inventory of urban trees in the city of Pinar del Río revealed 13 forest species belonging to 9 botanical families and 12 genera. The most represented family was Meliaceae. In addition, the "Hermanos Cruz" distribution presented a greater abundance of forest species. The species of urban trees serve as hosts to 21 harmful organisms that include eight causal agents of parasitic diseases, 3 orders, 11 families and 13 species of phytophagous insects, with a greater representation of Hemiptera and Lepidoptera. Harmful organisms showed a greater presence in the forest species like Callophylum antillanum, Grevillea robusta, Acasia mangium, Hibiscus elatus, Gmelina arborea, Tectona grandis y Eucaliptus sp.