Taxonomic redescription and biological notes on Diaugia angusta (Diptera,Tachinidae): parasitoid of the palm boring weevils Metamasius ensirostris and M. hemipterus (Coleoptera, Dryophthoridae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Resistência de genótipos de feijoeiro a Zabrotes subfasciatus (Bohemann, 1833) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Durante o armazenamento de grãos de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), o rendimento pode ser reduzido devido às infestações de carunchos como os da espécie Zabrotes subfasciatus (Bohemann, 1833) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). O ataque desse inseto afeta diretamente a qualidade dos grãos, além de facilitar a entrada de patógenos, tornando-os inviáveis para o consumo e/o comércio. Com a finalidade de buscar uma estratégia alternativa para o controle deste caruncho, avaliou-se a possível resistência de linhagens quase isogênicas contendo arcelina, linhagens selvagens contendo arcelina e cultivares comerciais de feijoeiro, em laboratório (T= 25±2° C, U.R.= 70±10% e fotoperíodo= 12h). Foram utilizados frascos contendo 10 g de grãos dos genótipos, os quais foram infestados por uma semana com sete casais do caruncho. Vinte e um dias após a infestação, os grãos foram avaliados contando-se o número de ovos viáveis. A partir de 25 dias da infestação, os grãos foram observados diariamente avaliando-se o número e o peso dos insetos emergidos, a viabilidade larval, o ciclo biológico (ovo-adulto) e o peso de grãos consumidos. Empregou-se um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com oito repetições. Os genótipos Arc.2, Arc.3, Arc.4, Arc.3S e Ipa 6 expressaram baixos níveis de não-preferência para oviposição e foram classificados como deterrentes. Os genótipos Arc.1S e Arc.1 expressaram elevados níveis de antibiose; Arc.2, Arc.3 e Arc.4 apresentam o mesmo mecanismo, porém, em níveis inferiores.

PHEIDOLE ANTS AS POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL AGENTS OF THE BOLL-WEEVIL, ANTHONOMUS-GRANDIS (COL, CURCULIONIDAE), IN SOUTHEAST BRAZIL

This study evaluates the potential of ants as natural biological control agents of the boil weevil (Anthonomus grandis), during the between-season period, in South-east Brazil. Active adults of Anthonomus were experimentally distributed on the ground of the cotton field. Results show that 20% of the adult Anthonomus are attacked and removed by foraging ants. The native ant Pheidole oliveirai was by far the most efficient predator, accounting for 94% of the predation on Anthonomus. Recruited workers of P. oliveirai were usually very fast at transporting the weevils to their nests. The potential benefit of suppressing overwintering adult Anthonomus during the between-season period is mainly that of reducing the risk of high level infestations during the next cropping cycle.

Efeito dos reguladores de crescimento vegetal nas características agronômicas do algodoeiro e no controle de insetos

The experiment was carried out in 1993/94, in Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil, to verify the efficiency of plant growth regulators on agronomic characteristics of cotton and as pest control technique. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with four replications and seven treatments: 1) control; 2) ethephon + cyclanilide (720 + 90 g/ha a.i.); 3) ethephon + cyclanilide (960 + 120 g/ha a.i.); 4) ethephon + cyclanilide (1200 + 150 g/ha a.i.); 5) ethephon (960 g/ha a.i.); 6) ethephon (1200 g/ha a.i.) and 7) cyclanilide 150 g/ha a.i.). Results suggest that plant growth regulators can reduce harvest time in 15 days, contributing significantly to decreased late-season squares and immature bolls that serve as feeding and oviposition sites to boll weevils and pink bollworm.

Seleção de isolados de beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. para o controle de sitophilus zeamais (Mots.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Sitophilus zeamais (Mots.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is considered a major pest of maize, responsible for reducing grain quality and making the corn inappropriate for industrial use and human consumption. S. zeamais has been controlled exclusively with chemical products. The objective of this research was to select isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. to control S. zeamais. Beetles were immersed in conidia suspensions of each isolate for five seconds and placed in a gerbox container with maize grains. In pathogenicity tests, the isolates that caused the highest mortality to the maize weevil were ESALQ-447 (68.0%), CCA-UFES/ Bb-36 (57.3%) and CCA-UFES/Bb-31 (51.3%). ESALQ-447 was the most virulent, with an LC50 of 1.7 × 107 conidia/ml and shows promise for controlling maize weevils. These isolates of B. bassiana can be used as effective substitutes for conventional chemical control, normally carried out with phosphine. Further tests should be performed under field and semi-field conditions to develop an appropriate strategy for the use of this entomopathogen to manage S. zeamais.