ASOCIACIÓN DE LA ABUNDANCIA DE HUEVOS Y NINFAS DE PRIMER INSTAR DE Diaphorina citri CON EL TAMAÑO DE BROTE VEGETATIVO DEL CULTIVO DE NARANJA VALENCIA (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck).

Background: Currently, there is little information on the abundance of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) eggs and nymphs in the size of vegetative shoots. Such information is relevant for the control of D. citri in early stages of development. Objective: To associate the abundance of eggs and N1 nymphs of D. citri with the size of the vegetative shoots of the Valencia orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) crop. Methodology: The study was carried out in the Valencia orange crop in the municipality of Güémez, Tamaulipas. In the field, five categories of shoots were selected under a randomized experimental design. Thirty shoots of each size were confined in a teal tulle bag and 30 shoots of each size were cut to one side of the confined shoot. The number of eggs and N1 nymphs was recorded at 3, 5 and 7 days in each shoot size. The result obtained was subjected to a multivariate analysis of multiple correspondence. Results: In the confined outbreaks, 9 to 27 eggs were recorded in the V2 and V3 outbreaks at three days, and from 71 to 213 eggs in the V4 outbreak at five days. At seven days the number of eggs was like that recorded on day five. In the control shoots, at three and five days, 1 to 3 eggs were recorded in the V5 shoot. At seven days, the number of eggs recorded in shoots V2, V3, V4 and V5 was like that recorded at three and five days. In the confined shoots, at three days no N1 nymphs were recorded in the V5 and V1 shoots. On day five, nine N1 nymphs were recorded in the V2 shoot. While, on day seven the number of N1 nymphs was like that recorded on days three and five. In the control shoots, at three, five and seven days, 1 to 71 N1 nymphs were recorded in the V3 shoot. Implications: The results of this study are useful input for the development of management strategies targeting D. citri eggs and nymphs to suppress the presence of adults. Conclusion: According to the results, the trials allowed the identification of those categories of vegetative shoots preferential for N1 nymphs and oviposition of adults. This preference may be related to the quality and quantity of photo assimilates present in the different developmental stages of vegetative shoots, which are essential for insect development.