Maurício Sekiguchi de Godoy

Diagnóstico sobre o uso do MIP nas principais áreas produtoras de melão dos Estados do Rio Grande do Norte e Ceará.

Melon farims in the states of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and Ceara (CE), Brazil, are highlighted for their production at both local and international trade. In order to ensure the fruit quality and to reduce the damage caused by pest insects, farmers have to use different pest management strategies that are economically and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the information level of small and medium exporting melon farmers by means of a questionnaire that explores the knowledge about the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Interviews were conducted, by way of semi structured questionnaire with 29 questions, with 25 melon farmers from the countryside of Mossoro and Barauna (RN) and from the countryside of Aracati (CE). The pest management strategies used by these farmers is based on physical (use of Typar® fabric and windbreaks), cultural (rotation and destruction of crop residues) and chemical (synthetic insecticides) methods. The last method is practiced by all farmers at different times throughout cropping. However biological control or the conservation of natural enemy techniques, is not frequently used by these farmers, primarily due to lack of knowledge and technical training on the handling of beneficial agents used in pest control programs.

The invasive red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), in Brazil: range extension and arrival into the most threatened area, the Northeast Region

ABSTRACT Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: tenuipalpidae), commonly known as the red palm mite (RPM), is an invasive polyphagous pest, which has emerged as a threat to agriculture in the Americas. In the Americas, the mite has not only spread quickly, but also greatly extended its host range in the new areas where it has been observed. We present here new records of the RPM in Brazilian states, with focus on its arrival into the most threatened area, the Northeast Region. Coconut and banana are important crops in this region of Brazil and represent the main threatened crops by this pest. These new records of RPM reinforce the idea that this species is already widely distributed throughout Brazil eight years after its introduction into the extreme North state of Roraima. Comments on the possible economic, social and environmental impacts are presented.

TOXICIDADE DE INSETICIDAS UTILIZADOS NO MELOEIRO SOBRE PRIMEIRO INSTAR DE Chrysoperla genanigra FREITAS (NEUROPTERA: CHRYSOPIDAE)

Brazil is one of the worlds largest producers of melon (Cucumis melo L.), and Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará are the largest producers states of the country (99% of exports). This crop had great socioeconomic importance in the Brazilian Northeast, however, it is affected by insect pests and consequently, large amounts of pesticides are applied to it, which greatly affect beneficial organisms, such as Chrysopidae. This bioassay evaluated the toxicity of nine insecticides used in commercial crops of muskmelon, applied to firstinstar larvae of Chrysoperla genanigra of up to 24-hour-old, from mass rearing cultures. Sublethal effects were evaluated, classifying the insecticides into the toxicity classes recommended by the IOBC. A completely randomized design was used, consisting of ten treatments (clothianidin, pymetrozine, lambda-cyhalothrin, chlorantraniliprole, indoxacarb, pyriproxyfen, beta-cyfluthrin+imidacloprid, imidacloprid, beta-cypermethrin and a control consisted of distilled water). The treatments consisted of exposure of thirty larvae to dry residues of each product in Petri dishes, assessing their mortality, duration of instars, sex ratio, fecundity and viability of eggs from adults of the insects evaluated. The products were classified in toxicity classes as harmful (Class 4) (clothianidin, pymetrozine, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, beta-cyfluthrin+imidacloprid, imidacloprid, betacypermethrin and pyriproxyfen) and innocuous (Class 1) (chlorantraniliprole) to first-instar larvae of C. genanigra, by calculate their total effect. Based on this work, chlorantraniliprole is the only recommended insecticide for use in integrated pest management (IPM) programs in muskmelon crops.