Response of true bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) trophic guilds to agricultural management of chayote crop, Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. (Cucurbitaceae)

Mexico is a global leader in the production and sale of chayote squash (Sechium edule), an economically important crop. Numerous species of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) have been reported in this crop; however, it is not clear how different agricultural management strategies impact their diversity and trophic interactions. This study analyzed the responses of heteropteran trophic guilds to agricultural management in 15 chayote plantations in Ixtaczoquitlan, Veracruz, Mexico. Traps were set and examined bimonthly during 2018. Agricultural management was characterized in terms of its trellis height, ground cover, and agrochemical use. We collected 371 individuals of Heteroptera belonging to 16 families, 44 genera, and 52 species; these were classified in the following guilds: predaceous, phytophagous, and mycophagous. Predator abundance exhibited a positive response to the use of herbicides and fertilizers, but showed a negative response to the height of the plant support structure and plant density. Phytophagous Heteroptera abundance was positively impacted by insecticide use, but negatively when amount of leaf litter and production cycle duration were considered. Species richness and abundance of the mycophagous guild did not respond to any of the management variables considered. These findings provide information important for the sound development of strategies for the management of phytophagous and predaceous true bugs in chayote agroecosystems.