Environmental management strategies for pest control in strawberry crop

• Ano de defesa: 2021
• Autor(a) principal: Esteca, Fernanda de Cássia Neves
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Ácaro-rajado; Ácaros predadores edáficos; Biological control; Controle biológico; Drosófila-da-asa-manchada; Edaphic predatory mites; Entomopathogenic fungi; Fungo entomopatogênico; Mulching; Spotted-wing drosophila; Two-spotted spider mite
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/11/11146/tde-13122021-174103/

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is produced mainly in the south of Minas Gerais and adjacent areas of São Paulo state, being susceptible to many pests, such as Tetranychus urticae (Koch, Tetranychidae) and Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931). Recent studies with Metarhizium humberi Luz et al. (Hypocreales: Claviccipitaceae) (ESALQ 1638) have indicated this species as a promising fungus for pest control. Mulching is an important practice in strawberry cultivation. Many growers use polyethylene as mulching, but this is expensive and non-biodegradable, making it necessary to look for organic materials, as done in other parts of the world. The objectives of this work were to evaluate: a) the population dynamics of drosophilids in strawberry; b) the predation, oviposition and survival potential of Gamasina mites when offered different stages of D. suzukii as prey; c) the effect of inoculation, via irrigation system, of M. humberi in strawberry crop; d) the composition of the mite fauna and the variation in their density in coffee husk and pulp and in forest fragments in southern Minas Gerais; e) the effect of using coffee husk and pulp on strawberry microclimate, on the quality of the pseudofruits and on the ability of edaphic Gamasina, which climb the strawberry plants at night, to prey on T. urticae; f) the diversity and prevalence of mites in cereal straw subjected to different periods of exposure in strawberry crops in Norway, evaluating overnight movement from edaphic habitat to leaflets. The results showed that D. suzukii and Zaprionus indianus Gupta are presently found in southern Minas Gerais on strawberry, but that they do not seem to cause significant losses to local growers. Some of the predators were able to attack and oviposit when fed with D. suzukii. Metarhizium humberi was recovered from samples of planting substrate, roots, petioles and leaflets of inoculated plants. In some months, the inoculated plants had a statistically lower mean number of the thrips/flower, of the two-spotted spider mite/leaflet and black flower/plant, while there was a higher mean number of Phytoseiidae/leaflet. Predatory mites are found in higher numbers in coffee husk and pulp acquired at the beginning of the year. Maintenance of coffee husk and pulp on the forest fragment floor before using as mulching promoted the incorporation of the edaphic predatory mites in the strawberry field, maintained a microclimate close to the strawberry plants favorable to the development of predatory mites and harmful to the two-spotted spider mites and result in the production of heavier and sweeter strawberries. Edaphic predatory mites may move to strawberry plants at nighttime in Brazil and in Norway. At least three of the evaluated edaphic predator were able to attack and oviposit when offered T. urticae eggs as prey. The study showed that the use of coffee husk and pulp as mulching and the application of M. humberi on strawberry plants can improve strawberry production.