Resumen en: The aim of this study was a survey of the estimated costs of soil erosion, an issue of fundamental importance in view of the current worldwide discussion...

http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/1802/Resumenes/Abstract_180218547001_2.pdf

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo

Insect pathogens as biological control agents: Back to the future.

Twenty-four articles by biologists, ecologists, and other scientists represent a year's progress in the field. Among the topics addressed: the effects of introduced species, paleobiogeography, genetics and geographic structure, marine fisheries management, time as an ecological resource, genetic var

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

Baculoviruses, among other insect viruses, are regarded as safe and selective bioinsecticides, restricted to invertebrates. They have been used worldwide against many insect pests, mainly Lepidoptera. Their application as microbial pesticides, however, has not met their potential to control pests in crops, forests, and pastures, with the exception of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of the soybean caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis), which is used on approximately 1 million ha annually in Brazil. Problems that have limited expansion of baculovirus use include narrow host range, slow killing speed, technical and economical difficulties for in vitro commercial production, timing of application based on frequent host population monitoring, variability of field efficacy due to climatic conditions, and farmers' attitudes toward pest control, which have been based on application of fast-killing chemical insecticides. Farmer education regarding use of biological insecticides and their characteristics is considered one of the major actions necessary for increased use of baculoviruses. Strategies to counteract some of the limitations of baculoviruses, especially their slow killing activity, have been investigated and are promising. These include the use of chemical or biological substances added to virus formulations and genetic engineering of the viruses themselves to express insect toxins or hormones. Such strategies can enhance viral activity and increase speed of kill as well as reduce larval feeding activity. The use of baculoviruses against Lepidoptera is reviewed, with the utilization of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of A. gemmatalis in Brazil serving as a case-study.

Assessment of the application of baculoviruses for control of lepidoptera

https://www.fabinet.up.ac.za/publication/pdfs/2509-lacey_et_al_2001.pdf

Insect Pathogens as Biological Control Agents: Do They Have a Future?

BACKGROUND: Defoliation by Anticarsia gemmatalis (H¨ ubner), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), Spodoptera eridania (Cramer), S. cosmioides (Walker) and S. frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was evaluated in four soybean genotypes. A multiple-species economic threshold (ET), based upon the species’ feeding capacity, is proposed with the aim of improving growers’ managementdecisions on when to initiate control measures for the species complex. RESULTS: Consumption by A. gemmatalis, S. cosmioides or S. eridania on different genotypes was similar. The highest consumptionofP.includenswas92.7 cm 2 onCodetec219RR;thatofS.frugiperdawas118 cm 2 onCodetec219RRand115.1 cm 2 on MSoy 8787RR. The insect injury equivalent for S. cosmoides, calculated on the basis of insect consumption, was double the standard consumption by A. gemmatalis, and statistically different from the other species tested, which were similar to each other. CONCLUSIONS: As S. cosmioides always defoliated nearly twice the leaf area of the other species, the injury equivalent would be 2 for this lepidopteran species and 1 for the other species. The recommended multiple-species ET to trigger the beginning of insect control would then be 20 insect equivalents per linear metre. c � 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

/pdf/lepidopteran-larva-consumption-of-soybean-foliage-basis-for-52zui2vzh2.pdf

Lepidopteran larva consumption of soybean foliage: basis for developing multiple-species economic thresholds for pest management decisions.

Baculoviruses pesticides are ideal tools in integrated pest management programs as they are usually highly specific to their host insects; thus, they do not affect other arthropods including pest predators and parasitoids. They are also safe to vertebrates and plants and to the biosphere. Over 50 baculovirus products have been used against different insect pests worldwide, and all have been produced in vivo, mostly on insects reared on artificial diets. However, there are cases of significant viral production in the field by applying a baculovirus against natural populations of the insect host and collecting dead or moribund larvae for further processing into a formulated product. Despite the considerable number of programs worldwide utilizing baculoviruses as biopesticides, their use is still low compared to another biological insecticide based on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner. As of the present, there are no programs using in vitro commercial production of baculovirus due to several technical limitations, and further developments in this area are much needed. Use of the baculovirus of the velvetbean caterpillar in Brazil has experienced a setback over the past 7 years due to modifications in cultural practices by soybean growers. Slow speed of kill by viral pesticides is a limitation that has led to considerable research effort toward developing faster killing agents through genetic modifications by either deleting or inserting toxin genes from scorpions and spiders into their genomes. However, these GMOs have not been used in practice due to significant resistance by the public to modified baculovirus genomes. Effective public extension services and farmer education toward application of biopesticides are much needed to expand the use of these products worldwide.

Baculovirus Pesticides: Present State and Future Perspectives

Seasonal Occurrence and Host Spectrum of Egg Parasitoids Associated with Soybean Stink Bugs

Pragas da soja; Pragas que atacam as folhas: Anticarsia gemmatalis (Lep.: Noctuidae); Pseudoplusia includens (Lep.: Noctuidae); Coleopteros desfolhadores; Outros organismos que atacam as folhas; Pragas que atacam vagens e graos: Percevejos sugadores de sementes; Lagartas das vagens; Brocas das vagens; Pragas que atacam plantulas, hastes e peciolos: Sternechus subsignatus (Col.: Curculionidae); Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Lep.: Pyralidae); Epinotia aporema (Lep.: Tortricidae); Outros insetos que atacam plantulas, hastes e peciolos; Pragas que atacam as raizes da soja: Coros; Percevejos-castanho-da-raiz; Outros insetos que atacam as raizes; Inimigos naturais das pragas da soja; Predadores: Hemipteros; Coleopteros; Parasitoides: Parasitoides de lagartas; Parasitoides de percevejos; Entomopatogenos: Virus; Fungos; Amostragem das pragas; Controle integrado e nivel de acao; Controle integrado das pragas que atacam as folhas: Anticarsia gemmatalis; Pseudoplusia includens e outros Plusiinae;; Coleopteros desfolhadores; Outros organismos que atacam as folhas; Controle integrado das pragas que atacam as vagens e graos: Percevejos; Lagarta-das-vagens; Broca-das-vagens; Controle integrado das pragas que atacam plantulas, hastes e peciolos: Sternechus subsignatus; Epinotia aporema; Controle integrado das pragas que atacam as raizes: Coros; Percevejo-castanho-da-raiz.

Flávio Moscardi

Papers

Assessment of the application of baculoviruses for control of lepidoptera

Lepidopteran larva consumption of soybean foliage: basis for developing multiple-species economic thresholds for pest management decisions.

Baculovirus Pesticides: Present State and Future Perspectives

Seasonal Occurrence and Host Spectrum of Egg Parasitoids Associated with Soybean Stink Bugs

Pragas da soja no Brasil e seu manejo integrado.