Lessando Moreira Gontijo.

Avaliar a eficácia da técnica de disrupção sexual (inundação da área de cultivo com feromônio sexual da praga) sobre o manejo da lagarta do cartucho Spodoptera frugiperda na cultura do milho.

O NEA-CEDAF será organizado em três eixos estruturantes: I ? Fomento à
integração entre os NEA´s da região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte e da Zona da
Mata Mineira; II ? Ensino e pesquisa em Agroecologia e Sistemas de Produção
Orgânica; e III ? Extensão tecnológica, orientação e apoio à transição agroecológica e
transferência de tecnologias em produção orgânica.
Com a implantação do NEA-CEDAF espera-se a consolidação de um canal de
diálogo e troca de saberes entre os NEA´s existentes na região metropolitana de Belo
Horizonte e Zona da Mata Mineira. Busca-se a discussão conjunta e a elaboração de
uma Pauta Comum que oriente os trabalhos e ações destes NEA´s e forneça subsídios
para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas alinhadas com as diretrizes e metas da
Política Nacional e do Plano Nacional de Agroecologia e Produção Orgânica.

This project aims to explore how soybean plant architecture and host density influence the biological control of Euschistus heros (Fabricius) by its egg parasitoid, Telenomus podisi Ashmead.

Soybean and maize acrops are vital to the Brazilian economy and require more sustainable production and pest management strategies. Although some predators and parasitoids are registered for the biocontrol of pests of these crops, their commercial availability remains limited. To address this gap, we propose prospecting for predators in soybean and maize fields. This study will focus on identifying and evaluating predators of key pests, including Spodoptera frugiperda. and Chrysodeixis includens.

This project aims to evaluate experimentally three critical aspects to optimize the use of Trichogramma pretiosum in augmentative biological control: (i) how life history parameters of T. pretiosum (single or group of parameters) can be used to predict its efficacy as a biological control agent for S. frugiperda and C. includens; (ii) the importance of energy-rich food availability in increasing the fecundity and parasitism rate by T. pretiosum on C. includens eggs; and (iii) how the density of C. includens eggs and parasitoid release strategies influence T. pretiosums biological control capacity in the field.

In this project we seek to develop a device/methodology to record the sounds of birds in the field. We expect to use the sounds to estimate the diversity of birds in the field, and correlate that with the abundance of insect pests. This projects involves cooperation between researchers from Universidade Federal de Viçosa and Wageningen University.

The novel challenges posed by the Anthropocene era require an innovative approach to understand ongoing adaptation processes. Planetary health is a new concept which explores the inexorable link between societal well-being and natural systems, and facilitates a knowledgeable and sensible stewardship of resources. Academic institutions and international organizations are already adopting this approach globally. The goal of this project is to build a strong interdisciplinary network between academic partners and non-academic actors for a better understanding of the challenges of sustainable food production in an ever-changing planet

In general, increasing plant diversity can strengthen biological control by means of supporting populations of natural enemies. However, the fragmentation and simplification of agricultural landscapes can lead the truncation of food webs and degradation of multi-trophic structure, which can hamper biological control of pests. This study investigates how the conservation of spontaneous vegetation at field borders can affect the temporal and spatial persistence of natural enemies in the field, and subsequent biological control of pests.

Augmentative biological control faces various challenges in open field agriculture, including the lack of alternative food and shelter/refuge for natural enemies. This study investigates how changes in cultural practices (e.g., strip-intercropping) that increasingly naturalize agroecosystems can facilitate the establishment of endemic and artificially-released natural enemies.

Natural biological control is an important tool in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Thus, conserving natural enemies in the field is essential. One way of fostering the attraction and establishment of natural enemies in the field is by cultivating and preserving strips of flowering species along the main crop. In general, flowering species can provide natural enemies with alternative non-prey food such as pollen (protein) and nectar (energy), as well as natural shelter. While the presence of flowering species next to field crops is known to promote the biological control of pests, the ecological mechanisms involved (e.g. stepwise fashion) are not yet fully understood. We are testing the hypothesis that flowers color may function as a first long-distance cue that would attract predators and parasitoids to feed on pollen/nectar, which subsequently would be closer to synomones and/or kairomones, thus facilitating the encounter of pests on the attacked host plant.

Biological control is considered an important tool for managing insect pests. Thus, the conservation of natural enemies is of paramount importance in many agroecosystems. Nonetheless, many environmental factors can affect the development and establishment of natural enemies in the field. For example, food scarcity and or lack of natural shelter can have negative impacts on the abundance and distribution of these natural enemies in the field. The provision of shelter can promote an increase in the density of natural enemies by protecting them from: intraguild predators, climatic adversities, direct exposure to pesticide spray, and also by providing them with alternative prey. In addition, the provision of shelter can be important to attract and conserve nocturnal natural enemies which do not move far distances (i.e., spiders, earwigs, carabids). Therefore, this project proposes to investigate how a natural shelter provided by parsley plants Petroselinum crispum cultivated together with collard plants Brassica oleracea can contribute to the biological control of aphids Brevicoryne brassicae through natural enemy conservation. Moreover, in this same system the contribution to aphid control provided by diurnal and nocturnal natural enemies will the evaluated. We expect the obtained results to provide important information for the development of conservationist tactics that can help improve the establishment of natural enemies in the field, and thus also enhance biological control. Lastly, we also hope that this system may work as a functional model for the cultivation of other companion plants (not only vegetables).

Formigas cortadeiras do gênero Acromyrmex são caracterizadas por serem insetos polífagos, consomem praticamente todos os vegetais cultivados. Sendo assim um grande problema para produtores rurais e mesmo em áreas verdes das cidades. Quando não feito um controle de modo efetivo, seus danos chegam a níveis altos, sendo capazes inviabilizar a produção agrícola.	O controle desses insetos é realizado principalmente com compostos químicos venenosos e muitas vezes aplicados de modo displicente hora em nível subletal, que não irá suprimir o ninho, hora em superdosagem, desencadeando contaminação ambiental. Devido a pressões de grupos ambientalistas e tendências mercadológicas por comercialização de produtos com selos de baixa toxicidade aos meio ambiente. Nas últimas décadas, com o surgimento da filosofia do MIP (Manejo Integrado de Pragas), com o intuito da melhoria da qualidade dos produtos e preservação dos recursos naturais muitas pesquisas se iniciaram em busca de novas moléculas menos nocivas. Uma das muitas vertentes do MIP é Controle Biológico, que propõem a busca por microrganismos, predadores e parasitoides capazes de controlar a proliferação das pragas. Estudos sobre parasitoides em formigas cortadeiras vem sendo desenvolvidos para o gênero Atta tem mostrado resultados promissores, porém ainda incipientes. Relações de parasitoides na maioria das espécies do gênero Acromyrmex, ainda não foram realizadas, deixando assim uma enorme área para pesquisas..

Natural biological control is considered an important tool in integrated pest management programs. Thus, the conservation of natural enemies in the field is of paramount importance to achieve success. Nonetheless, various extrinsic factors may affect the development and establishment of natural enemies in the field. For example, times of food scarcity or absence could have negative impacts on natural enemy abundance and distribution. The effects caused by this nutritional stress may be direct or indirect. However, little attention has been given to the indirect effects. For example, it is known that the phenotype and behavior of an organism can be indirectly influenced by the mother?s environment. Thus, this maternal effect can translate into phenotypic and behavioral variations of the offspring. Therefore, this project proposes to investigate how nutritional stress caused by food scarcity can affect directly adult females of Cycloneda sanguinea, and indirectly its offspring F1 (maternal effect). More specifically, this study will examine: I) reproductive ecology of adult females of C. sanguinea exposed to conditions of food scarcity, II) development and behavior of the F1 larvae, and lastly, III) any negative effect caused by maternal effect will be projected for the next generations via population matrix models.

A mosca branca é uma praga polífoga que ataca várias culturas incluindo a soja. As injúrias causadas podem ser diretas quando sugam nutrientes das plantas bem como indiretas quando transmitem viroses ou quando expelem ?honeydew? que serve de substrato para o desenvolvimento de fumagina. Com a necessidade crescente da adoção de medidas sustentáveis para o manejo de pragas torna-se essencial o uso de pesticidas bioracionais. Muitos inseticidas bioracionais tem como ingrediente ativo moléculas oriundas de microorganismos do solo como o fungo Beauveria bassiana. Esse fungo tem se mostrado eficiente no manejo de vários insetos praga, especialmente na fase joven. Para tanto, este trabalho objetivou avaliar a eficácia de um produto comercial a base de B. bassiana (boveplus) no controle de ninfas de mosca branca na cultura da soja.

The integration of chemical and biological control is crucial for the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) programs that follow the sustainability paradigm. This integration may be achieved, in part, by the adoption of selective pesticides that have little or no negative impact on natural enemies. Thus, understanding the lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides upon natural enemies is of paramount importance to establish a successful IPM program. The tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a key-pest in Brazil whose larvae can feed on leaves, stems and fruits; and losses can reach up to 100%. Nonetheless, some hemipteran predators like Amphiareus constrictus, Orius tristicolor and Blaptostethus pallescens have been observed to provide good field control of T. absoluta. Sole reliance on pesticides to suppress T. absoluta is economically and ecologically costly, affects worker safety, and goes against consumer concern about food safety. For stakeholders to remain competitive, stable IPM programs that conserve natural enemies and are economically realistic must be developed. Thus, this work proposes to examine the lethal and sublethal effects of insecticides on the population growth, morphophysiology and behavior of male sperm, and foraging behavior of the T. absoluta predators A. constrictus, O. tristicolor and B. pallescens. The results are expected to aid on devising guidelines/tools to help choose selective pesticides compatible with T. absoluta IPM programs and also provide information on how insecticides can affect predator-prey interactions, with broader implications for population dynamics.

An integrated basis for biocontrol of woolly apple aphid was developed. The following segments were investigated: 1- survey of woolly apple aphid natural enemies in central Washington, 2- role played by specialist parasitoids and generalist predators regarding the control of woolly apple aphid in the field, 3- habitat manipulation (use of insectary plants) to attract and conserve natural enemies in apple orchards, and 4) impact of reduced-risk pesticides on life history parameters of the parasitoid Aphelinus mali.

M.S. project: Assessment of tri-trophic interactions between plants, herbivorous mites and predatory mites. More specifically, it was investigated how plant architecture interacting with prey distribution (within plant) can affect the foraging efficiency and behavior of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis.

Projeto realizado durante iniciação ciêntífica.

Projeto de iniciação científica.