Asclepias curassavica L. plant is toxic for vertebrates, and little is known about its effects on invertebrates, as well as whether its secondary metabolites have an influence on food preference and survival of insects. Thus, a study was conducted to verify the action of A. curassavica on Spodoptera frugiperda J.E.Smith. The plants were collected, dried and ground to compose a crude ethanolic extract. Food tests were carried out with and without opportunity of choice, using corn leaf discs immersed in the extract at concentrations of 1%, 2% and 4%, for assessment of food consumption (g) and preference index. Later, the extract was topically applied on second- and fifth-instar caterpillars, at concentrations of 1%, 2%, 4% and 6%, in order to observe its effect on survival. In parallel, analysis was conducted to verify the presence and measure the amount of total polyphenols and flavonoids in the extract. There was contact action between the extract and second-instar caterpillars at all concentrations, with treatment 6% causing 100% of mortality 72 hours after application. None of the treatments promoted contact action on fifth-instar caterpillars. In food tests with and without opportunity of choice, all treatments caused reductions in consumption, which classified all as phagodeterrent, with treatment 4% standing out as the least favorite. The presence of total polyphenols and flavonoids was found in the extract, presenting 58.75 ug/mL and 150.1 ug/mL, respectively. The A. curassavica extract proved promising in S. frugiperda control.

Chemical control of leaf-cutting ants is widely used, but alternative control with toxic plant extracts is promising. Substances with insecticidal potential extracted from plants have numerous ecological advantages. This study evaluated the insecticidal and/or fungicidal potential of the plants Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) (rosemary) and Equisetum spp. (horsetail) for control of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Forty laboratory-reared colonies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa were used. The plants were collected, dried out in a circulating air oven for 48 hours, ground, and macerated in 96o ethanol until exhaustion. After filtration, the products were evaporated under reduced pressure to obtain the ethanolic extracts. Acceptance of the reagent, topical application of the extracts, and application of baits containing 4% of the plant extracts were tested. The results showed that all plant extracts tested negatively influenced the development of the fungus garden. Baits produced with Asclepias curassavica caused the highest mortality of the colonies within 7 days. In conclusion, the ethanolic extracts of Asclepias curassavica, Rosmarinus officinalis and Equisetum spp. exhibit insecticidal (contact and ingestion) and fungicidal activity in colonies of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa.

Os cupins são insetos sociais da ordem Isoptera, com cerca de 2.900 espécies catalogadas no mundo. No Brasil, são várias as espécies de importância agrícola e florestal. Caracterizam-se por colônias complexas do ponto de vista social e estrutural, muitas vezes subterrâneas, o que dificulta o seu completo conhecimento. Diante deste fato, este trabalho teve como objetivo a manutenção de colônias de cupins com importância agrícola em laboratório, do gênero Nasutitermes, para determinar as condições necessárias ao seu desenvolvimento, incluindo preferências de forrageamento por diferentes partes de Paspalum notatum. Colônias jovens foram coletadas em campo para manutenção em laboratório, sob um sistema artificial com condições estruturais (abrigo) e ambientais (luz, temperatura, umidade relativa do ar) que buscaram ser as mais similares possíveis àquelas naturais. Diferentes partes de P. notatum foram oferecidos como opção alimentar, em teste com chance de escolha. Após estabelecimento da criação laboratorial e observação do forrageamento de colônias do cupim Nasutitermes sp, verificou-se a preferência por raiz, seguida de fragmentos em decomposição, folhas secas e frescas, equivalentemente. Verificou-se também sua adaptação à um sistema estrutural artificial composto por caixa central e caixa de alimentação, permitindo a manutenção das colônias por tempo mínimo de 5 meses. Palavras-chave: criação de cupins em laboratório; insetos sociais; pragas de gramíneas; pragas florestais; térmitas. FORAGING AND MAINTENANCE OF Nasutitermes sp COLONIES (ISOPTERA: Termitidae) IN LABORATORY ABSTRACTTermites are social insects of Isoptera order, with about 2,900 species cataloged in the world. In Brazil, there are several species of agricultural and forestry importance. They are characterized by complex colonies from the social and structural point of view, often subterranean, which hinders their complete knowledge. In view of this fact, this work had as objective the breeding of termite colonies with agricultural importance in the laboratory, of the genus Nasutitermes, to determine the necessary conditions for its development, including foraging preferences for different parts of Paspalum notatum. Young colonies were collected in field and kept in laboratory, in an artificial system with structural conditions (shelter) and environmental conditions (light, temperature, relative humidity) that sought to be the most similar to those natural ones. Different parts of P. notatum were offered as food option, in a test with a chance of choice. After establishing of laboratory rearing and observing the foraging of Nasutitermes spp. colonies, it was verified the preference of foraging by root, followed by decaying fragments, dry and fresh leaves, equivalently. It was also verified its adaptation to an artificial structural system composed of central box and feeding box, allowing the maintenance of the colonies for a minimum period of 5 months.

Considering the toxic action of P. aquilinumbracken for vertebrates, its insecticidal activity and potential use in agricultural pest control was verified, testing its effects on S. frugiperda. Crude ethanolic extract was made with the aerial part of P. aquilinum, being incorporated into artificialdiet (control or extract-free, 1% and 2%) with 50 replicates (caterpillars). There was significant mortality (34% and 86%) at concentrations of 1% and 2%, respectively, compared to control (10%). In treatments at 1% (20.03 days) and 2% (20.42 days), larval stage prolongation (13.51 days) was observed in the control treatment. On the 3rd, 6th, 9thand 12thdays after treatment, there was weight reduction, and the 2% treatment resulted in larvae 73% lighter than the control did at day 12. The pupae of the 2%treatment were lighter than the others. In conclusion, 1% and 2% of P. aquilinum ethanolic extract extended the larval cycle, decreased the larvae’s and pupae’s weight, and, at a concentration of 2%, caused effective mortality of S. frugiperda.

Arguably, nitrogen (N) is an important and essential component for plant growth and development. Ammonium is a major inorganic nitrogen source for plants mobilized by ammonium transporter (AMT) among N available sources. In this study, data mining revealed that in theAnanas comosusL. genome was identified eight AMT family genes. The eight pineapple AcoAMT proteins were identified and phylogenetically clustered into two groups with AMT proteins from other plants. Two pairs ofAcoAMT(AcoAMTaandAcoAMTg) genes located on chromosome 1 and unchromosome appear to be segmental duplications. Based on this information, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using some bioinformatics tools to characterize the identified genes individually. The comprehensive analysis of AMT will provide an essential foundation for further investigation of the regulatory mechanisms ofAcoAMTsinA. comosusL.