Conservation Biological Control as an Important Tool in the Neotropical Region.

The history and recent developments of conservation biological control (CBC) in the context of industrialized and small-scale agriculture are discussed from theoretical framework available in the Neotropical region. A historical perspective is presented in terms of the transition of the way pests have been controlled since ancestral times, while some of these techniques persist in some areas cultivated on a small-scale agriculture. The context of industrialized agriculture sets the stage for the transition from chemical pesticides promoted in the green revolution to the more modern concept of IPM and finds in conservation biological an important strategy in relation to more sustainable pest management options meeting new consumer demands for cleaner products and services. However, it also noted that conservation, considered within a more integrative approach, establishes its foundations on an overall increase in floral biodiversity, that is, transversal to both small-scale and industrialized areas. In the latter case, we present examples where industrialized agriculture is implementing valuable efforts in the direction of conservation and new technologies are envisioned within more sustainable plant production systems and organizational commitment having that conservation biological control has become instrumental to environmental management plans. In addition, a metanalysis on the principal organisms associated with conservation efforts is presented. Here, we found that hymenopteran parasitoids resulted in the most studied group, followed by predators, where arachnids constitute a well-represented group, while predatory vertebrates are neglected in terms of reports on CBC. Our final remarks describe new avenues of research needed and highlight the need of cooperation networks to propose research, public outreach, and adoption as strategic to educate costumers and participants on the importance of conservation as main tool in sustainable pest management.

Search Ability of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) for Larvae of Lasioderma serricorne at Different Depths and over Time in Stored Tobacco.

During storage time of agricultural products, the attack of insect pests may cause great losses. In tobacco, it occurs in the producer's warehouses, and in processing companies, one of the species that cause damage is Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius). Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the search ability of the parasitoid, Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard), for larvae of L. serricorne in tobacco. For this, couples of A. calandrae were released into PVC tubes (50 × 10 cm) filled with crushed dried tobacco on plates containing 20 larvae of L. serricorne at four depths (10, 20, 30, and 40 cm). In addition, and as a comparison, bales of tobacco were placed in tissue bags. Six plates contained 30 larvae of L. serricorne each and 50 couples of A. calandrae were released in each bag. After 1, 3, or 7 days, the plates were removed and kept in climate room (28 ± 2 °C, 60 ± 10% RH, and photophase of 12 h) until the emergency of the offspring. In all bioassays, A. calandrae was able to find and parasitize the offered larvae. For the experiment set in the tubes, the parasitism level was up to 84% in the larvae placed closest to the surface, gradually decreasing as the depth increased. In bales, the longer the larvae were exposed to the parasitoid, the higher the rate of infestation control. These results show that A.calandrae is able to find and parasitize larvae of L. serricorne in tobacco storage environments.

Número de gerações de um percevejo e seu parasitoide e da severidade da ferrugem asiática em soja, simulados em cenários de clima e manejo no norte do RS / Number of generations of a stink bug and its parasitoid and severity of soybean rust, simulated under climate and crop management scenarios in northern RS State, Brazil

Objetivou-se simular o número de gerações do percevejo Euschistus heros e seu parasitoide Telenomus podisi e da severidade da ferrugem causada por Phakopsora pachyrhizi na cultura da soja em função da data de semeadura, cultivar e momento de ocorrência desses organismos. A simulação foi feita em dois locais representativos de duas importantes regiões produtoras de soja no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Modelos bioclimáticos dos insetos e da doença foram integrados a um modelo de simulação da cultura da soja (DSSAT) e rodados para uma série temporal de dados meteorológicos diários para Passo Fundo (52 anos) e Santa Rosa (34 anos). Independente do grupo de maturação, quanto mais antecipada foi a data da semeadura e o estádio de ocorrência de E. heros na cultura, maior o número de gerações (de 2 a 3) até a maturação fisiológica da soja. Para T. podisi, um maior número de gerações (5 a 6) foi simulado para semeadura antecipada e cultivares de ciclo tardio. Para a ferrugem asiática não foram observadas tendências de redução nos níveis médios de severidade com o uso de práticas preconizadas, como plantio antecipado e cultivares de grupos mais precoces de maturação.

The objective of this study was to simulate the number of generations of a soybean insect pest (Euschistus heros) and its parasitoid (Telenomus podisi) and a fungal disease (soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi) as influenced by sowing date, cultivar and time of occurrence of the pest and the disease. Bioclimatic models that predict development of the organisms and severity of the disease were integrated into a crop simulation model of soybean (DSSAT) that predicted phenological stages of the crop for scenarios of sowing data and cultivar maturity group in a long time series of daily meteorological data to Passo Fundo and Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The results showed that regardless of the maturity group, the earlier the sowing date and the time of occurrence of E. heros in the field, the greater its number of generations (2 to 3) until physiological maturity. For T. podisi, a higher number of generations (5 to 6) was estimated for the earlier sowing dates and late-maturing cultivars. For soybean rust no significant trends of reduction in the mean disease severity was observed when advocated practices such as early sowing and early-maturing cultivars were used.

Primeiro registro da ocorrência de Cirrospilus floridensis Evans (Hymenoptera) como parasitóide de Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera) no Brasil / First record of occurrence of Cirrospilus floridensis Evans (Hymenoptera) as a parasitoid of Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera) in Brazil

Este estudo relata o primeiro registro de Cirrospilus floridensis Evans no Brasil. Este Eulophidae foi obtido de pupas de Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (minador-das-folhas-dos-citros) presentes em folhas de bergamoteiras da variedade Montenegrina (Citrus deliciosa) e do híbrido tangor Murcott (C. sinesnis x C. reticulata) coletadas de julho de 2001 a junho de 2003 em Montenegro, RS, Brasil. Foram registrados adultos, machos e fêmeas de C. floridensis.