Fernando Cantor

Atividade predadora e parasítica de Diglyphus begini (Ashm.) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) sobre Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanch.) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) em cultivos de Gypsophila paniculata L.

Diglyphus begini (Ashm.), a biological control agent of the leaf miner Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanch.), has a two-fold effect on pest control: host-feeding and parasitism. The proportional effect of the two actions was studied in a commercial greenhouse facility with Gypsophila paniculata L. plants, export quality. Effects of host feeding were observed before the parasitism effects. By the end of the vegetative cycle of the crop, both mortality factors had a combined effect of 70% control of the leaf miner. After flowering, this control may reach 90% without the need of insecticides. It is emphasized that the predation effect is usually neglected in evaluations of monitoring and that the parasitoid actions is frequently underestimed.

A Re-Description of Balaustium leanderi Comb. Nov. (Actinotrichida, Erythraeidae) with First First Report on Characteristics of All Active Instars and Taxonomic Notes on the Genus

Abstract Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) comb. nov. (Actinotrichida: Erythraeidae), previously known only from the larval stage is re-described based on material originating from a laboratory culture of specimens collected in Colombia. This is also the first report of Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) in this country. The taxonomic characters of adult (female), deutonymph and larva are provided. The species re-described in this paper, is one of 37 nominal species presently assigned to the genus. With Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) there are just 6 species known both from larvae and active postlarval forms. Palenqustium Haitlinger (2000) is considered a junior synonym of Balaustium, which is one of 12 genera recognized within the Balaustiinae. A modified diagnosis of Balaustium von Heyden, 1826 is provided.

Padronização da criação de Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) em feijoeiro (Phaseolus vulgaris): idade da planta e tempo de colheita

A rearing technique was standardized to produce Tetranychus urticae Koch on Phaseolus vulgaris (ICA Cerinza variety) as a prey of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. Two assays were conducted to assess the following variables: 1. the most suitable plant age for mite infestation, 2. the best time to harvest the mites and reinfest the plants. In the first experiment, four-, five-, six-, and seven-week-old plants of P. vulgaris were infested with six T. urticae per foliole. The lower plant stratum exhibited the largest number of mites regardless of plant age. However, four-week-old plants had the larger average number of individuals. In the second experiment four-week-old plants were infested with 0.5 female mite/cm(2) of leaf. The number of individuals per instar of T. urticae was recorded weekly. The highest mite production occurred between four and five weeks after infestation, indicating this to be the most suitable for mite harvesting and for plant reinfestation.

A Simulation Model of the Mass Rearing of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Beans

The supply of predatory mites as natural enemies is a key component to guarantee the success of biological pest control programs as alternatives to chemical control in commercial crops. To meet the demand for a supply of biologicals, the mass rearing of natural enemies is an option, and the first step must be to develop a standardized system that maximizes the production of prey. One choice for this first step is to use simulation models that can evaluate scenarios that are difficult or complex to address experimentally. In this work, a model was developed to evaluate the current management conditions for the mass rearing of the pest mite Tetranychus urticae Koch. Our aim was to identify alternative scenarios to maximize mite production through mass rearing that could be evaluated in real systems. We assumed that populations of T. urticae were regulated by the conditions of supply-demand theory and modeled the age structure, temperature effects, and individual phenology of T. urticae. The supply-demand theory of resources was used to regulate populations, which involved structured ages and temperature effects for the different stages in the development of individuals. We used the functional response and the paradigm of metabolic pool models to describe resource acquisition and allocation. We demonstrated that 7- to 14-day-old plants infested with 45 or 62 T. urticae/plant could reach 25,000 individuals/plant, being 50% of these preys at the preferred stages by the predator Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. Our theoretical model requires validation in experimental/real systems of mass rearing to better verify the validity of all of the parameters and predictions before commercial implementation.