Controle de Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae): uso de formulações oleosas de Metarhizium spp. em condições seminaturais

Abstract

The tick Rhipicephalus microplus has been considered the most important parasite in cattles. It causes economic lost in dairy and beef cattle. As the fungus Metarhizium spp, a promising biocontrol agent, with remarkable virulence and efficacy against this arthropod. Environmental conditions can directly influence entomopathogenic fungal activity when it is released on the field. Therefore, adjuvants should be used to enhance fungal pathogenicity, stability and viability under unfavorable environmental conditions. Accordingly, several oily vehicles have been studied as adjuvant components. The present study aimed at investigate under semi-natural conditions, the permanence of fungi in the soil, the pathogenicity and the efficacy of two isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae sensu latu (ARSEF 3641 and CG 148) formulated in oil (soy and mineral), on engorged females of R. microplus engorged. The fungus was mass produced on rice cultivation and the semi-natural environment was framed from pots with Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu. The experiment was compound of seven groups: Control OLV (treated with vegetable oil and 0,1% of tween 80), Control OLM (treated with mineral oil and 0,1% of Tween 80), Treated 3641 OLV (treated with isolated ARSEF 3641 + vegetable oil); Treated 3641 OLM (treated with ARSEF 3641 isolated + mineral oil); Treated CG 148 OLV (treated with CG148 isolated + vegetable oil); Treated CG 148 OLM (treated with CG 148 isolated + mineral oil). Each group contained ten pots. The soil of each pot was sprayed with 80 ml of formulation at 108 conidia/ml in accordance with the proposed group. Afterwards, 5 engorged females were put on each pot. All pots were daily inspected for evaluating the percent mortality of famales. The efficacy of formulations tested was obtained by comparison of the number of live larvae collected at the apex of forage leaves of the control groups with the number of larvae from the treated groups. The collection of larvae was held on the 7th, 14th and 21st after the hatch. To evaluate the presence of Metarhizium spp. in the soil, a methodology was established to quantify the colonies number found in samples collected from each pot before the spraying and at 3th, 7th, 21th and 60th day after treatment. For the standardization of the methodology set out in the quantification of colonies in the soil, data from three evaluators were confronted by Kaapa test, the statistical analysis of data were submitted to the distribution of normality by the Shapiro-Wilk test. Data were analyzed as nonparametric and we used the Kruskal-Wallis test for analysis of variance followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls to compare the mean. The tested oil fungal formulations showed daily efficacy ranging between 85,08 and 96,13% compared to their respective controls. The group trated with isolated ARSEF 3641 formulated both in mineral oil and vegetable oil showed the better efficacy when compared to the respective control groups. Also, during tick females’ laying period, it was possible to observe Metarhizium spp. externalization on R. microplus engorged females cuticle in all groups that were exposed to fungal formulations, confirming the ability of these fungal isolates on develop all growth stages over this arthropod in semi-natural conditions. Both fungal isolates formulated in vegetable or mineral oil showed to be able to remain active in semi-natural environment as they were pathogenic and effective against engorged females, and able to reduce significantly future generations of the tick.