# Species Composition, Natural Enemies, and Population Density of Pests in Greenhouse Banana Plantations of the Western Mediterranean Region of Türkiye

## TL;DR

This study identifies pests and their natural enemies in greenhouse banana plantations in Türkiye to support sustainable pest management.

## Contribution

The study provides the first Turkish records of two parasitoid species associated with specific pests in greenhouse banana cultivation.

## Key findings

- Seventeen pest species and twenty-two beneficial species were recorded in greenhouse banana plantations.
- Spider mites were the most prevalent pests, while predatory mites were the most abundant natural enemies.
- The study documents the first occurrence of two parasitoid species in Türkiye.

## Abstract

Banana (Musa spp.) is a globally important tropical fruit that can also be cultivated under subtropical conditions, with greenhouse production enabling year-round yields and improved fruit quality. It is an economically significant fruit that is increasingly cultivated in greenhouses, particularly in Türkiye. While greenhouse conditions enable year-round production, they also create favorable environments for insect and mite pests. Despite this, knowledge regarding pest and beneficial species associated with greenhouse banana cultivation in Türkiye remains limited. This study surveyed banana greenhouses in the Western Mediterranean Region during 2022–2023 to identify pest species, assess their population densities, and document their natural enemies. Seventeen pest species and twenty-two beneficial species were recorded. Spider mites represented the most prevalent pests, whereas predatory mites were the most abundant natural enemies. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable, integrated pest management strategies in greenhouse banana production.

Banana (Musa spp.) is an economically important crop whose relevance is steadily increasing in greenhouse-based production systems. This study aimed to determine pest and natural enemy species, and pest population densities in greenhouse banana fields in the Western Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. Periodic studies were conducted every 15 days in 2.4 hectares for two consecutive years (2022–2023), while nonperiodic studies covered 128.9 hectares. Species were collected through visual inspection, sticky traps, and plant sampling. Seventeen pest species from four orders and eight families were recorded: Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom 1895), Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan), Thrips tabaci Lindeman Hercinothrips femoralis (Reuter), Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltenbach), Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov & Nycolsky, Tetranychus urticae Koch, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Aleyrodes sp., Planococcus citri (Risso), Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell), Ceroplastes rusci (L.), Coccus hesperidum L., and Chrysomphalus aonidum (L.). Twenty-two natural enemies from six orders and thirteen families were identified. This study also provides the first Turkish records of parasitoid Coccophagus shillongensis Hayat and Singh from C. hesperidum and Encarsia aurantii (Howard) from C. aonidum. The data showed that spider mites were the most abundant pests, while phytoseiid mites were their most abundant natural enemies. This study represents an important contribution to the scarce literature on insect and mite fauna associated with banana greenhouses in the Western Mediterranean Region. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of effective and sustainable pest management strategies for greenhouse banana production.