15.2 The Main Greenhouse Crops
Greenhouse crop production is now a growing reality throughout Iran with an
estimated about 9000 ha of greenhouses. The vegetable crops (approximately
4000 ha) are the main greenhouse crops in Iran. Cucumber, tomato, pepper, cherry
tomato, beans, broad beans and eggplant are the most commonly grown in greenhouses. Strawberry is one of the most important fresh fruit that grows in greenhouses. Also, many flowers (mainly rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, gladiolus,
tuberose, alstromeria, saintpaulias, gerbera, orchid, anthurium and lilium) and ornamental plants are cultivated in greenhouses in Iran (Pahlevan et al. 2012; FAO
2013).
15.3 The Main Pests of Greenhouse Crops
Four groups of insects (include aphids, whiteflies, thrips and leaf miners) and plant
mites are common and important pests on greenhouse crops in Iran. Several species
are most serious pests of the greenhouse-grown crops that economic importance for
greenhouse, are discussed here.
15.3.1 Aphids
Aphids are one of the most serious pests of vegetable and ornamental crops in
commercial greenhouses. Almost all species of plants grown in greenhouses are
susceptible to some aphid species (van Emden and Harrington 2007). Aphids can
damage crops in different ways: (1) direct damage by sucking the sap of plants
causing stunted and distorted plant tissue, new foliage and flowers are often malformed and (2) indirect damage by excreting honeydew and by transmission of
pathogens. The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potato virus Y (PVY) and bean
yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) are the most common and economically important
viruses of greenhouse crops (van Emden and Harrington 2007; Pinto et al. 2008) that
transmit by aphids. These damages result in significant yield reduction and economic
loss (van Emden and Harrington 2007; Karami et al. 2018a). The most important
aphid pests on greenhouse crops in Iran are given in Table 15.1.
Aphis gossypii is a polyphagous aphid, attacks the wide range of greenhouse
crops (Table 15.1). The estimated intrinsic rate of increase of this aphid ranged from
0.173 day
À1 (on chrysanthemum) (Rostami et al. 2012) to 0.493 day
À1
(on cucumber, Super Sultan variety) (Tazerouni et al. 2016a). Pepper, eggplant,
chrysanthemum and cucumber are most important host plants for M. persicae in
greenhouses in Iran. The maximum intrinsic rate of increase of M. persicae was
determined on pepper (0.389 day
À1 ) (Ghorbanian et al. 2019).
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Z. Tazerouni and A. A. Talebi
Greenhouse crop production is now a growing reality throughout Iran with an
estimated about 9000 ha of greenhouses. The vegetable crops (approximately
4000 ha) are the main greenhouse crops in Iran. Cucumber, tomato, pepper, cherry
tomato, beans, broad beans and eggplant are the most commonly grown in greenhouses. Strawberry is one of the most important fresh fruit that grows in greenhouses. Also, many flowers (mainly rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, gladiolus,
tuberose, alstromeria, saintpaulias, gerbera, orchid, anthurium and lilium) and ornamental plants are cultivated in greenhouses in Iran (Pahlevan et al. 2012; FAO
2013).
15.3 The Main Pests of Greenhouse Crops
Four groups of insects (include aphids, whiteflies, thrips and leaf miners) and plant
mites are common and important pests on greenhouse crops in Iran. Several species
are most serious pests of the greenhouse-grown crops that economic importance for
greenhouse, are discussed here.
15.3.1 Aphids
Aphids are one of the most serious pests of vegetable and ornamental crops in
commercial greenhouses. Almost all species of plants grown in greenhouses are
susceptible to some aphid species (van Emden and Harrington 2007). Aphids can
damage crops in different ways: (1) direct damage by sucking the sap of plants
causing stunted and distorted plant tissue, new foliage and flowers are often malformed and (2) indirect damage by excreting honeydew and by transmission of
pathogens. The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potato virus Y (PVY) and bean
yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) are the most common and economically important
viruses of greenhouse crops (van Emden and Harrington 2007; Pinto et al. 2008) that
transmit by aphids. These damages result in significant yield reduction and economic
loss (van Emden and Harrington 2007; Karami et al. 2018a). The most important
aphid pests on greenhouse crops in Iran are given in Table 15.1.
Aphis gossypii is a polyphagous aphid, attacks the wide range of greenhouse
crops (Table 15.1). The estimated intrinsic rate of increase of this aphid ranged from
0.173 day
À1 (on chrysanthemum) (Rostami et al. 2012) to 0.493 day
À1
(on cucumber, Super Sultan variety) (Tazerouni et al. 2016a). Pepper, eggplant,
chrysanthemum and cucumber are most important host plants for M. persicae in
greenhouses in Iran. The maximum intrinsic rate of increase of M. persicae was
determined on pepper (0.389 day
À1 ) (Ghorbanian et al. 2019).
554
Z. Tazerouni and A. A. Talebi