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Laboratory, greenhouse, and field experiments were performed with the objective of selecting efficient indigenous strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) from Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state, Brazil, for controlling the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wied.). Laboratory experiments were conducted in 24 well-plates filled with sterile sand and one insect per well. In greenhouse experiments, plastic trays filled with soil collected from the field were used, while in field experiments, holes were made in soil under the edge of peach tree canopies. Among 19 EPN strains tested, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar RS88 and Steinernema riobrave Cabanillas, Poinar, & Raulston RS59 resulted in higher A. fraterculus larval (pre-pupal) and pupal mortality, with LD(90) of 1630, 457 and 2851, 423 infective juveniles (IJs)/cm(2), respectively. Greenhouse experiments showed no differences in pupal mortality at 250 and 500IJs/cm(2) of either nematode. In the field, H. bacteriophora RS88 and S. riobravae RS59 sprayed individually over natural and artificially infested fruit (250IJs/cm(2)) resulted in A. fraterculus larval mortality of 51.3%, 28.1% and 20%, 24.3%, respectively. There was no significant difference in A. fraterculus pupal mortality sprayed with an aqueous suspension of either nematode; however, when using infected insect cadavers, H. bacteriophora RS88 was more efficient than S. riobrave RS59. Our results showed that H. bacteriophora RS88 was more virulent to insect larvae, with an efficient host search inside the infested fruit and control of pupae in the soil after being applied by aqueous suspension or infected cadavers.

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The giant African snail Achatina fulica was introduced in Brazil and since then has become an important pest, because of its resistance to abiotic conditions, hermaphroditism, polyphagia, and absence of natural predators. This study aims to evaluate the control of A. fulica in lettuce, in Alagoas, Brazil. Bioassays for the determination of lethal dose and lethal time to adults of A. fulica and the egg mortality were performed in the laboratory by applying commercial synthetic products, commercial and non-commercial alcoholic botanical extracts on mollusk adults. Additionally, the protein concentration, lipase activity and enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), in the stomach, intestine, nervous ganglion and liver were determined. The alcoholic extract of Capsicum frutescens caused higher mortality of A. fulica, and the alcoholic extract of C. frutescens and Piper tuberculatum oil can prevent the hatching of A. fulica. The lipase activity was present and in greater quantities in tissues, stomach, intestine, liver and ganglia of A. fulica, before and after exposure of the alcoholic extract of C. frutescens. The enzymatic activity of BuChE was present in the ganglia and liver of A. fulica, prior to exposure of the alcoholic extract of C. frutescens. The enzymatic activity of AChE was present only in the ganglion and absent in liver of A. fulica, prior to exposure of the alcoholic extract of C. frutescens. The concentration of 10% of the alcoholic extract of C. frutescens caused 84% mortality of adult A. fulica in lettuce in field conditions.

The American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, is the main primary pest of palms in tropical America and the principal vector of the red ring disease, the major phytosanitary problem of coconut and oil palm in South America. The current management of the problem is based on the capture of adult weevils with aggregation pheromone and the elimination of diseased palms, a system difficult to implement for smallholder producers. Biocontrol agents of the weevil, the tachinid parasitoids Billaea spp., are known with limited distribution in Bahía State of Brazil. Their introduction and release in affected areas could greatly improve the natural control of the weevils. Furthermore, these parasitoids are known to attack palm-boring weevils in five different genera and could be a new control option for the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, the worst pest of palms worldwide. The collection, rearing and study of these parasitoids for introduction in new areas are the aim of this study. A detailed analysis of the necessary steps to comply with regulatory aspects and a research programme to ensure biosafety is described.

Red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus was described as pest from tropical

The sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis, Fabricius, 1794) is a devastating pest that causes millions of dollars of losses each year to sugarcane producers by reducing sugar and ethanol yields. The control of this pest is difficult due to its endophytic behavior and rapid development. Pest management through biotechnological approaches has emerged in recent years as an alternative to currently applied methods. Genetic information about the target pests is often required to perform biotechnology-based management. The genomic and transcriptomic data for D. saccharalis are very limited. Herein, we report a tissue-specific transcriptome of D. saccharalis larvae and a differential expression analysis highlighting the physiological characteristics of this pest in response to two different diets: sugarcane and an artificial diet. Sequencing was performed on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform, and a de novo assembly was generated. A total of 27,626 protein-coding unigenes were identified, among which 1,934 sequences were differentially expressed between treatments. Processes such as defence, digestion, detoxification, signaling, and transport were highly represented among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, seven aminopeptidase genes were identified as candidates to encode receptors of Cry proteins, which are toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis used to control lepidopteran pests. Since plantinsect interactions have produced a considerable number of adaptive responses in hosts and herbivorous insects, the success of phytophagous insects relies on their ability to overcome challenges such as the response to plant defences and the intake of nutrients. In this study, we identified metabolic pathways and specific genes involved in these processes. Thus, our data strongly contribute to the knowledge advancement of insect transcripts, which can be a source of target genes for pest management.