ABSTRACT:Several studies have reported the importance of phytophagy in the history of life from predator stinkbugs. However, knowledge of the nutrients acquired by these insects, from plant materials, is scarce. The phytophagy studies of zoophytophagous predators benefit biological control programs, making them more effective, since the best resources may be offered to these insects, increasing the potential for predation and, thus obtaining, success in pest control. Thus, this study investigated the development and zoophytophagy of predator Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in eucalyptus seedlings, deficient in macronutrients. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse and the treatments consisted of individual nitrogen omission, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur nutrient solution, where the eucalyptus seedlings were being conducted. The pupae of Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Teneobridae) were offered ad libitum. The results of this experiment demonstrated the importance of nutrition in plants for the development and predation of P. nigrispinus. The plants deficient in nitrogen and magnesium reduce the predation efficiency of this zoophytophagous. The omission of calcium, magnesium and sulfur adversely affected the development of this insect predator, extending its immature stages. The proper nutritional balance of the plants is essential for the success in biological control programs that use zoophytophagous predators.
Predatory stink bugs (Asopinae) are found in a wide range of natural and agricultural habitats and are important biological control agents (Pires et al., 2015;Pereira et al., 2017). Podisus spp. is the most diverse genus in Asopinae, currently with 32 species distributed in the Neotropical and Nearctic regions. Several Podisus species have been recorded in the Americas, mainly Podisus maculiventris (Say, 1831) in North America, P. nigrispinus (Dallas, 1851), P. sagitta (Fabricius, 1794) and P. distinctus (Stål, 1860) in Central and South America (Brugnera et al., 2020).Podisus sagitta has been reported occasionally in the literature. Its original locality is Central America, occurring from the southern United States to South America. This species was more studied in Europe -Belgium, between the 80s and 90s of the 20th century by Clercq and Degheele (1990), when a rearing of P. sagitta was established in the laboratory in 1982, using insects originating from Surinam. However, these same authors later reported that a misidentification occurred and that the species studied really treated P. nigrispinus and not P. sagitta (Clercq and Degheele, 1995).The objective was to record, for the first time, the natural occurrence of P. sagitta in Brazil and preliminary data of its biology in the laboratory.The predator was found associated with outbreaks of defoliating Lepidoptera in eucalyptus plantations in Itamarandiba, Minas Gerais state, Brazil (17° 51' S, 42° 51' W, at an elevation of 910 masl). The occurrence of the P. sagitta was verified in November 2015, during monitoring in eucalyptus plantations, preying on caterpillars of Thyrinteina arnobia Stoll, 1782 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Approximately, 30 predator nymphs from the third to fifth stages were collected and taken in 1000 mL plastic pots to the Laboratório de Controle Biológico de Insetos (LCBI) of the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) in Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Insects were maintained at 25 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 10% relative humidity, and 12-hours photophase. The nymphs were fed with pupae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and distilled water until the emergence of adults.
The objective of this study was to test different rescue strategies of Xylopia sericea plants from natural regeneration. Two experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design, in split-plots, with the first one consisting of four levels of shading (0 or full sun, 30, 50 and 70% of shading) and four substrates; and the second consisting of four levels of shading and three leaf reduction intensities (0, 50 and 100%). After 150 days from the rescue, the survival and increments in height and diameter were obtained. The general mean survival was 26.1% in the first experiment and 26.7% in the second one. In both experiments the plants in full sun resulted in 100% mortality, while the 70% shading showed to be more effective concerning the survival and in the growth resumption. It is recommended to use substrates whose mixture has at least 50% subsoil as one of its components. Overall, the results obtained by leaf reduction were not sufficient to justify and recommend this procedure, taking into account the increase of the process total costs.
RESUMO: Batata-doce [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] apresenta grande versatilidade de usos no Brasil. Com a ampliação das áreas de cultivo, essa espécie estará sujeita à contaminação por herbicidas. Eventualmente, organismos não alvos podem ser expostos aos resíduos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar aspectos biológicos do ácaro Tetranychus ludeni alimentado com folhas de batata-doce pulverizadas com diferentes doses do herbicida 2,4-D. O experimento foi conduzido no Laboratório de Controle Biológico da Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), em Diamantina, Minas Gerais. Foram utilizadas 175 fêmeas de T. ludeni e 6 doses de 2,4-D, em g.ha-1 (8,06; 20,15; 40,30; 80,60; 201,50; e 806,00), mais o tratamento-controle com água destilada. Adotou-se delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com sete tratamentos e cinco repetições, contendo cinco fêmeas de T. ludeni em cada repetição. Foram avaliados a mortalidade inicial do ácaro em 24 h, o número de ovos, as ninfas e a longevidade das fêmeas. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância, sendo as médias significativas analisadas pelo teste de Duncan. Observou-se que doses maiores desse herbicida podem aumentar a mortalidade e reduzir a longevidade das fêmeas de T. ludeni.
Insect pests are limiting factors to the expansion of Eucalyptus spp. plantations in Brazil. Aphids of the species Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are a key pests in different crops and may negatively affect the growth, development and survival of plants. This paper reports the first record of M. persicae in seedlings of Eucalyptus urophylla grown in a greenhouse in Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This finding suggests the implementation of an integrated management program for this aphid, in order to prevent it from becoming a pest in Eucalyptus .
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