Mari Inês Carissimi Boff

[First record of Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) and Trissolcus urichi (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) parasitizing eggs of the rice stem bug, Tibraca limbativentris (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in Santa Catarina, Brazil].

We report the first occurrence of Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) and Trissolcus urichi (Crawford) parasitizing eggs of the Rice Stem Bug, Tibraca limbativentris (Stål), in Santa Catarina, Brazil. These species have a high potential of parasitization, pointing them as an alternative for biological control of T. limbativentris.

Different timing of whitefly control and soybean yield

Experimentos foram conduzidos em Parauna, Goias, Brasil, avaliando o impacto da mosca-branca na producao de soja. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos e quatro repeticoes (10m x 20m). Os tratamentos foram diferentes niveis de infestacao, obtidos pela aplicacao de inseticidas em diferentes momentos; a testemunha foi mantida livre do ataque da praga, aplicando-se inseticida semanalmente. O numero de insetos por foliolo foi avaliado semanalmente e, na colheita, foi avaliada a produtividade (kg ha-1) e o peso de 100 sementes (g). A soja foi tolerante a mosca-branca, visto que apenas o tratamento em que as ninfas por foliolo atingiram a media de 136,31±26,60 (tratamento sem aplicacao de inseticidas) foi severo o suficiente para causar perdas de produtividade. Essa perda foi provavelmente associada a formacao de fumagina, causada pelo fungo Capnodium sp., que se desenvolve nas secrecoes acucaradas produzidas pela mosca-branca na superficie das folhas. Portanto, inseticidas precisam apenas ser aplicados quando a infestacao de mosca-branca for severa o suficiente para propiciar a formacao de fumagina. Entretanto, a relacao entre o numero de insetos por foliolo e a formacao de fumagina ainda precisa ser determinada para diferentes cultivares, assim como para diferentes condicoes ambientais.

High dilution of Staphysagria and fruit fly biotherapic preparations to manage South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus, in organic peach orchards

The peach, Prunus persica, is an important economic crop in southern Brazil, where family farms are predominantly small. The South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus is a limiting factor to increased production in orchard crops. Increased organic production in Brazil has stimulated research to find ecological based pest management. This research was carried out in order to evaluate the efficacy of preparations at high dilution in managing A. fraterculus in organic peach orchards. Experiments were conducted under field conditions in randomized blocks during 2003/04 and 2004/05. Treatments consisted of A. fraterculus nosodes and Staphysagria homeopathic preparations, both at two high dilution levels, 3CH and 6CH (centesimal hahnemannian dilution method), applied at two spray intervals, 5 and 10 days, and a control. Fruit losses due to A. fraterculus infestation varied from 40 to 98.3%. Although there were significant differences among treatments in the first harvest of two of the three experiments there were no significant differences in the second harvest of any of the experiments. None of the homeopathic preparations reduced the incidence of infested fruit significantly below that of the water control in any of the three experiments. Further studies must combine other strategies such as bagging fruits and planting of early season cultivars. Variation on high dilution potency, dose, and frequency of application must also be considered.

Andiroba oil (Carapa guianensis Aubl) in the capture of the fruit fly (Anastrepha fraterculus Wiedemann) in Feijoa (Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret)

The fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus is considered the main pest of fruit trees, including feijoa, Acca sellowiana, in the southern region of Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Carapa guianensis on A. fraterculus. The research was carried out in a feijoa orchard in Lages, State of Santa Catarina, from December 2009 to December 2010. The experimental design was of randomized blocks with four repetitions. The treatments consisted of andiroba oil at 0.5, 1% and 2%, associated with 5% hydrolyzed protein (Bioanastrepha�), which was also used alone as control. Andiroba oil at 1% and 2% reduced the attractive potential of hydrolyzed protein; also, fewer females were captured in these two treatments.

Production of caffeine alkaloid by Claviceps sorghi

The ergot disease of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), caused by the fungus Claviceps sorghi, restricted to the Indian sub-continent, is a disease in which the pathogen infects the florets, colonizing the unfertilized ovaries. Losses are higher in hybrid seed production fields due to a higher susceptibility of male sterile lines. The sclerotia of C. sorghi have never been found to contain alkaloids with a tetracyclic ergoline ring system, which is normal in most ergot pathogens. In this work, we show that sclerotia of C. sorghi contain caffeine alkaloid and the ability to produce it in vitro.

Acca sellowiana (Myrtaceae): A New Alternative Host for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Brazil

Summary We report, for the first time, the occurrence and development of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in fruits of Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret (Myrtaceae). Although fruits of A. sellowiana present hard and thick skin, damage caused by another insect pest, Conotrachelus psidii Marshall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), may have enabled fruit infestation by D. suzukii.

Resistência do vimeiro, Salix spp. (Salicaceae), à pragas e doenças.

The present work aimed at evaluating the resistance reaction to pest and disease of introduced species and local clones of Salix x rubens , in different ecosystems of “Planalto Serrano Catarinense”. Three experiments were conducted in field conditions during 2003/2004 crop cycle with introduced genotypes from Argentina, Chile, Germany and France and local clones of Salix x rubens . The resistance evaluations consisted of pest incidence and severity of leaf diseases estimations. A rank of resistance reaction of willow was demonstrated as result of large genetic base. The research showed that genotypes EEL_10, EEL_08, EEL_02, EEL_13, EEL_09, and EEL_20 access were the most resistant ones against pest and diseases. Further studies would be needed to verify if these genotypes can be suitable for crafting when cultivated in the “Planalto Serrano Catarinense” conditions.

Manejo de Diabrotica speciosa com atrativos naturais em horta orgânica

The control of insects associated with home garden vegetable crops is usually done by sintetic pesticides. However, the risks of the indiscriminate use of pesticides on human health and the environment need to be considered. The objective of this work was to study the attractive efficacy of natural substances on D. speciosa, a very important pest in Latin America. The following treatments were tested: roots of Cayaponia sp., green fruits of Lagenaria sp., water extract of Brassica pekinensis, extract of fermented fruits, red vinegar and water as a control. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six replications. All the tested substances were put into PET plastic bottles of 2L with eight lateral holes and distributed at random in the experimental area. Green fruits of Lagenaria sp. captured the larger number of D. speciosa, 5.4 times more than roots of Cayaponia sp. that captured 19.7 times more than the control tratament. The water extract of Brassica pekinensis had no effect on D. speciosa attraction, and did not differ from the control treatment in the number of captured insects. Independently of the treatment, the population peak of D. speciosa occurred in February and March.

Entomofauna associada à erva-de-touro (Poiretia latifolia Vogel) em povoamentos na região do Planalto Catarinense

Poiretia latifolia Vogel (Fabaceae), a native plant of the high-altitude field ecosystems appears to show promise, when introduced into the Atlantic Forest biome of southern Brazil. It is valued for its monoterpene-rich essential oil and exhibits great potential in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. This work aimed at studying the entomofauna associated with P. latifolia , as well as assessing the effects of these insects on this plants reproductive success. The entomofauna were surveyed between December 2015 and January 2016, in two natural P. latifolia stands found in the Capao Alto and Sao Jose do Cerrito municipalities of Santa Catarina State. At each site, the entomofauna were subjected to 42-hour monitoring periods and five marked plants in each area were monitored every hour, from 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. The effects of the climatic variables on the insect were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. To determine the damage due to herbivory, ten P. latifolia plants were marked at each site, from which the flowers and seeds were collected and the insect damage estimated. The predominant insects in both stands were identified as belonging to the orders Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera. The Dipteran insects revealed a significant positive correlation with the mean daily temperature (r = 0.84, p = 0.03442) in the Capao Alto stand. Damages caused by insects to the P. latifolia flowers and seeds were 54% and 88%, respectively, and were even higher in the Sao Jose do Cerrito area. Environmental changes precipitated by the intense agricultural usage in the vicinity of the P. latifolia stands may have been the reason for these differences.

Food resources and population pattern in Apis mellifera hives used for apple pollination

The objective of this work was to evaluate the variations in the stored food resources and in the number of immature bees in Apis mellifera hives used for apple (Malus domestica) pollination. The study was conducted in the municipality of Vacaria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with 40 hives, over two consecutive harvests. The evaluations were done in the hive brood frames before, during, and 45 days after a pollination period, by interpreting photographic field records. Before being transported to the orchards, the bees foraged primarily in areas with native forest or canola (Brassica napus) crop, in 2014/2015, and with native forest or eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) reforestation, in 2015/2016. In both harvests, the percentage of food resources (honey and pollen) stored in the hives reduced significantly between the preand post-pollination periods, but there was no significant difference between the pollination and post-pollination periods. The greatest reduction in the storage of these resources was observed in the hives from the canola crop, which had a large supply of floral resources compared with the apple orchards. The hives most susceptible to population variations within the apple orchards are those from the canola crop, whereas those from areas with a lower food supply (forest and eucalyptus) show population gains in the apple orchards.