Navegando por Autor "Andrade, Fernanda Pereira"

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Varronia curassavica Jacq. (Boraginaceae) as an agroecological tool for coffee pest management
(Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 2022-08-04) Andrade, Fernanda Pereira; Venzon, Madelaine; Fonseca, Maira Christina Marques; Pallini Filho, Angelo
Coffee (Coffea sp.) is a crop of great relevance in agriculture. However, its productivity can be severely affected by the attack of pests, such as Leucoptera coffeella and Hypothenemus hampei. The coffee leaf miner, L. coffeella, is a key coffee pest in the Neotropics. The larvae feed on the parenchyma of coffee leaves decreasing the photosynthesis capacity and leading to significant losses in yield. The coffee berry borer, H. hampei, is the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. This pest lives inside the coffee berry consuming the seeds thus reducing the quantity and quality of the coffee grains. The most common method of control to both pests is the use of synthetic pesticides, which have a low effectiveness due to the selection of resistant populations. Additionally, the excessive use of these products could have a severe impact in the environment and non-target individuals. An alternative for the management of these pests could be the use of specific plants and their secondary metabolites, such as the essential oils. Varronia curassavica is a medicinal species that produces an essential oil with a range of biological activities besides attracting natural enemies, such as the Chrysopidae. The specie Chrysoperla externa is an important biological control agent of a variety of pests, including L. coffeella and H. hampei. In this study, I investigate whether V. curassavica can be used in the management of L. coffeella and H. hampei and benefit their natural enemy C. externa. I performed a greenhouse experiment to evaluate if the association of V. curassavica plants with coffee plants would affect the oviposition of L. coffeella and its predator C. externa (Chapter I). The association of the V. curassavica plants with coffee plants didn’t affect L. coffeella oviposition, however, it increased the C. externa oviposition. I also investigate the effects of the V. curassavica essential oil in the oviposition and the development of eggs and mines of L. coffeella (Chapter II). The V. curassavica essential oil inhibited the oviposition of L. coffeella but did not affect the development of its eggs and mines. I evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of V. curassavica essential oil on H. hampei, assessing the mortality rates, the mobility of H. hampei, and the repellence of the essential oil to this pest (Chapter III). The essential oil of V. curassavica is toxic to H. hampei and affects its mobility, but it wasn’t repellent to the pest in the concentration tested. This study demonstrates that V. curassavica plant and its essential oil could be a safer alternative in the management of the key coffee pests. Keywords: Coffea sp. Leucoptera coffeella. Hypothenemus hampei. Chrysoperla externa.