Bases ecológicas para o manejo de Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) em sistemas orgânicos de produção de tomate

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B stands out, among the diverse community of pest herbivores that colonize the tomato crop, due to the direct damages and transmission of several pathogenic viruses (Geminiviridae) causing productivity losses. The spraying of insecticides for its control selects resistant populations and promotes the dispersion of adults to other cropped areas. This shows the necessity of new techniques based on knowledge of several ecological interactions relating the tomato and the biotic and abiotic components of tomato agroecosystem. Previous field observations showed that the intercropping of coriander and tomato crops together can reduce the population levels of B. tabaci, mainly in organic crop system. Therefore, how coriander can affect the whiteflies populations is unknown. The objective of this work was to generate new scientific bases for the ecological management of B. tabaci in organic tomato crop systems through intercropping with coriander and managing irrigation systems (sprinklers and drip). Chapter 1: A multiple-choice test in an olfactometer (X type) was conducted to evaluate if B. tabaci is attracted by the tomato volatiles and how the coriander volatiles can affect this pattern. Male and female of whiteflies were attracted by constitutive volatiles of tomato plants showing that these infochemicals have an important role in plant selection by this herbivore. However, on the contrary of what was expected, the constitutive volatiles of coriander alone were not repellent to the insect. Nonetheless, when exposed in a combination with tomato volatiles, there was a reduction in the preference of B. tabaci for tomato plants. Chapter 2: The dynamics of B. tabaci populations and the occurrence of predators and parasitoids in tomato monocultures and tomato-coriander bicultures, submitted to drip and sprinklers irrigation, were compared during different phenological stages of tomato plants. Adults and nymphs of B. tabaci were less abundant in the tomato-coriander biculture treatments, mainly after the five first weeks of sampling, and in the plots irrigated by sprinklers. Higher abundance and species diversity of natural enemies was observed in the treatments with coriander, mainly after its flowering and in the treatments under sprinklers irrigation. The irrigation management and the consortium with coriander affected distinctly the abundance of different groups of natural enemies, such as ladybeetles, predaceous flies, and parasitoids. This knowledge will be helpful in the conservation biological control of different tomato pests, and in different periods of the year. Chapter 3: The spatial distribution pattern of whitefly adults during the colonization period in tomato monoculture and the tomato-coriander biculture and irrigated by drip or sprinkler was described. The initial population that colonized tomato plants in the first sampling week showed a clumped pattern in both drip and sprinklers irrigation systems. The clumped population pattern remained in all sampling periods in the drip system. On the other hand, the mechanical effect of the water from sprinklers on the individuals changed the aggregation pattern from a clumped distribution to a random distribution. The tomato-coriander biculture reduced the plant colonization by B. tabaci compared to the monoculture. The adult population remained clumped, mainly in the plots of single cropped tomato, remaining more evident in plots with drip irrigation where there is no mechanical action of water on the adults. The dispersion of Begomovirus followed the vector dispersion in the area, and it was observed a clumped pattern under the drip irrigation and a random distribution pattern under the sprinklers irrigation. This way, the tomato-coriander biculture and the irrigation by sprinklers affected the spatial distribution of whitefly adults and the incidence of viruses. These results reinforce the importance of planting coriander before the tomato plant in order to diminish the colonization rate of whitefly and reduce the losses caused by disease. Additional studies are needed to identify the volatiles produced by plants and understand the chemical interactions of these volatiles and B. tabaci. Natural enemies specific against these species of whitefly should also be evaluated for population control. Instead of recommendations for irrigating tomato crop by drip system to reduce disease attack, this study showed that for whitefly control the sprinklers system is more efficient. This way, these two cultural practices can be efficient strategies as measures to prevent colonizing and establishing of B. tabaci and Begomovirus in organic tomato crops during the period of low incidence of rains.

ASSUNTO(S)

population dynamics conservation biological control coriandrum sativum coriandrum sativum interação inseto-planta agroecology controle biológico conservativo ecologia insect-plant interaction agroecologia dinâmica populacional

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