Bioecologia de joaninhas predadoras em sistema orgânico diversificado e efeitos de defensivos alternativos sobre Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) em laboratório

Abstract

Coccinellid predators are natural enemies of agricultural pests such as aphids and scale insects. They are known colloquially as ladybirds, ladybugs or lady beetles. Some species only complete their development and produce viable eggs and offspring when they consume their preferred prey. However, in the absence of this prey, or in presence with lower nutritional quality prey, the ladybugs tend to consume alternative foods, such as pollen and nectar, to ensure their survival. Thus, the choice and maintenance of useful floral resources to ladybugs in agroecosystems is a strategy favorable to the conservation of natural enemy populations in the production environment. Another line is the use of pesticides that cause fewer negative impacts on natural enemies of pests. This study worked on these two fronts, seeking to know floral species beneficial in situ conservation of biodiversity of ladybugs, and to evaluable the impact of pesticides used in organic agriculture on these insects. The thesis isb organized in three chapters. Chapter I aimed to identify plant families and/or plant species are natural sources of pollen grains for predatory ladybug adults in diversified organic system. Adults were collected from 26 August 2010 to 22 August 2011, at area of Integrated Agroecological Production System (IAPS), in Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. Baker's legs and wings have been removed to avoid contamination with pollen attached to the outside of the insects, the remainder of the body subjected to acetolysis analysis, aiming at the identification of pollen possibly ingested. We identified pollen from different plant species: star fruit (Averrhoa carambola, Oxalidaceae), coriander (Coriandrum sativum, Apiaceae), sunflower (Helianthus annuus, Asteraceae), maize (Zea mays, Poaceae), elderberry (Sambucus nigra, Adoxaceae), and different families: coming from Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, and Passifloraceae. Pollens were found in seven species of ladybugs. Just Cycloneda sanguinea ingested pollen of all these families, and pollen unidentified families. Chapter II aimed to determine the diversity of adult ladybugs community in the area of IAPS, and characterize the population structure by faunistic indexes. Species richness was equal to seven [Cycloneda sanguinea, Hippodamia convergens, Coleomegilla maculate, Coleomegilla quadrifasciata, Eriopis connexa, Harmonia axyridis, and Olla v-nigrum]. C. sanguinea, H. convergens, and C. maculata were classified as dominant, being the first constant and others accessories. In Chapter III, the studies were conducted with C. maculata at laboratory conditions, with the objective of evaluating the effect of different concentrations of alternative pesticides used in organic agriculture (Natuneem®, Nim-I-Go®, Rotenat®, Lime sulfur, and Agrobio®) on biological aspects of this insect. The two neem based products (Natuneem and Nim-I-Go) to 2 % and the “timbó” based product (Rotenat) 1% and 2% decreased egg viability of C. maculata. Nim-I-Go at concentrations of 1% and 2% caused higher mortality than the control treatment (water) in all larval instars. Except Agrobio, all pesticides adversely affected the reproduction of C. maculata. The neem based products should be used sparingly to avoid negative effects on the development of C. maculata.