Orientador: Janete Apparecida Desidério / Banca: Vivian Boter Bergamasco / Banca: Sonia Marli Zingaretti / Banca: Odair Aprecido Fernandes / Banca: Ana Maria Guidelli Thuler / Resumo: Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a toxicidade e a interação entre proteínas Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab e Vip3Aa em lagartas neonatas de Anticarsia gemmatalis, Chrysodeixis includens e Spodoptera frugiperda. Lisados das proteínas foram utilizados em bioensaios com lagartas neonatas para determinar a CL50 e CL90 das proteínas Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab e Vip3Aa e realizar experimentos histopatológicos. Ensaios de competição, entre as proteínas Cry1, Cry2 e Vip3 biotiniladas, foram realizados com as proteínas das vesículas de membrana da microvilosidade apical do intestino médio ("Brush Border Membrane Vesicles" - BBMV) das lagartas. Foi feita a purificação de receptores para toxina Cry1Ac a partir da BBMV de A. gemmatalis e C. includens por afinidade seguida da identificação das proteínas ligantes. As toxinas Cry1A e Cry2A demonstraram maior toxicidade para A. gemmatalis e C. includens que a proteína Vip3Aa, porém o inverso foi observado em S. frugiperda. As lagartas da espécie A. gemmatalis se mostraram mais suscetíveis as proteínas testadas do que as de S. frugiperda e C. includens. As espécies diferiram também quanto ao tipo de interação entre as toxinas. Enquanto para S. frugiperda e C. includens, as interações foram sinérgicas, para A. gemmatalis foram predominantemente antagônicas. As proteínas se uniram aos receptores presentes nas BBMV de S. frugiperda, A. gemmatalis e C. includens, permitindo inferir sobre a presença e ausência de comp... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work aimed to study the toxicity and interaction between Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab and Vip3Aa proteins in neonate larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda, Anticarsia gemmatalis and Chrysodeixis includens. Lysates containing proteins were used in bioassays for the determination of LC50 and LC90 of the Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab and Vip3Aa proteins. Histopathological experiments were realized with A. gemmatalis, C. includens (fed with Cry1Ac and Vip3Aa) and S frugiperda (fed with Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa). Competition assays, among biotinylated Cry1, Cry2 and Vip3 proteins, were performed with brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) proteins from A. gemmatalis, C. includens and S. frugiperda. Purification of Cry1Ac receptors from A. gemmatalis and C. includens BBMV was performed by affinity followed by identification of binding proteins. The Cry1A and Cry2A toxins demonstrated higher toxicity to A. gemmatalis and C. includens than the Vip3Aa protein, but the inverse was observed to S. frugiperda. A. gemmatalis larvae were more susceptible as Cry and Vip proteins than as S. frugiperda and C. includens. Species differed about type of protoxins interaction. While for S. frugiperda and C. includens, the protoxins showed as synergistic interactions, for A. gemmatalis they were predominantly antagonistic. It was possible to infer about presence and absence of competition of the receptors in the BBMV from S. frugiperda, A. gemmatalis and C. includens. Histopathological changes as vacuolization and disruption were observed in the intestine from S. frugiperda larvae, fed with Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa and A. gemmatalis and C. includens, fed with Cry1Ac and Vip3Aa. Putative receptors were to identified from A. gemmatalis and C. includens to Cry1Ac toxin. The combination of Cry and Vip proteins, as well as helping to manage resistance and can increase toxicity through synergistic acti... (Complete abstract electronic access below) / Doutor

Orientador: Carlos Frederico Wilcken / Banca: Alberto Soares Corrêa / Banca: Pedro José Ferreira Filho / Resumo: O psilídeo-de-concha do eucalipto, Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) é uma das principais pragas exóticas do eucalipto e foi relatado no estado de São Paulo em 2003, causando danos em plantios de Eucalyptus camaldulensis. O parasitoide Psyllaephagus bliteus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) foi notificado juntamente com a praga e uma nova introdução de parasitoides do México foi realizada para maximizar a eficiência de programas de controle biológico dessa praga. Os objetivos foram avaliar a diversidade genética do psilídeo-de-concha e do seu parasitoide no Brasil utilizando sequenciamento de genes mitocondriais. Insetos das duas espécies, praga e parasitoide, foram coletados em diferentes regiões do Brasil para o sequenciamento de um fragmento de genes mitocondriais. Trinta e quatro indivíduos de G. brimblecombei e 12 de Psyllaephagus spp. foram sequenciados. Um único haplótipo de COI foi encontrado nas populações de G. brimblecombei do Brasil e este é compartilhado com amostras oriundas de Portugal. Isso indica que, provavelmente, houve apenas uma ou poucas introduções do mesmo centro de origem dessa espécie no Brasil e proveniente de uma linhagem invasora presente em diferentes locais do mundo. Este fato sugere que as rotas de invasão de G. brimblecombei no mundo estão interligadas, o que parece ser um padrão para pragas invasoras de eucalipto. Para o parasitoide dois haplótipos distintos foram encontrados, com alta distância genética entre eles, sugerindo a presenç... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) is one of the most important Eucalyptus exotic pests. Its first report in Brazil was in 2003, in the state of São Paulo, damaging Eucalyptus camaldulensis plantations. The parasitoid Psyllaephagus bliteus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was recorded together with the past and a new introduction of parasitoids from Mexico was carried out to improve the efficiency of biological control programs of this pest. The objectives were to evaluate the genetic diversity of the red gum lerp psyllid and its parasitoid in Brazil using mitochondrial genes sequencing. Insects of both species were collected from different regions in Brazil. Thirty-four individuals of G. brimblecombei and twelve samples of Psyllaephagus spp. were successful sequenced. A single COI gene haplotype was found in G. brimblecombei populations from Brazil and this is the same haplotype that occurs in Portugal samples, indicating one or few introduction events of G. brimblecombei in Brazil is originated from an invasive lineage distributed in other regions from the world. This fact suggests that the invasion routes of G. brimblecombei in the world are interconnected, which seems to be a standard for invasive Eucalyptus pests. Two distinct haplotypes, with a high genetic distance between them, were identified for the parasitoid. It confirms the presence of two parasitoid species in Brazil, one already identified, P. bliteus, and a second species of Psyllaephagus not morphologically identified. However, we can confirm that both parasitoid species collected in Brazil are exotic species originated from Australia / Mestre

Orientador: Regiane Cristina Oliveira de Freitas Bueno / Banca: Carolina Reigada Montoya / Banca: Liciana Vaz de Arruda Silveira / Resumo: Diversas espécies de insetos causam danos ao homem, incluindo, os relacionados a agricultura. Insetos-praga causam 1/3 da perda da produção, assim, é fundamental o controle destes insetos. Para que o controle seja eficaz é necessário conhecer as características biológicas do inseto, principalmente, as relacionadas aos fatores abióticos. A temperatura é o principal fator que atua na dinâmica populacional dos insetos, interferindo na sobrevivência, desenvolvimento, reprodução e comportamento. Entre as pragas mais severas, a Helicoverpa armigera possui ampla distribuição geográfica com registros de ocorrência na Europa, Ásia, África, Oceania e América. Além da ocorrência em quase todos continentes, essa espécie possui hábito migratório. Quando das condições de temperaturas são adversas e há escassez de alimento, H. armigera pode migrar até centenas de quilômetros para locais propícios para a sobrevivência. Diante disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da temperatura no desenvolvimento e adaptação em três progênies de H. armigera. Concluiu-se que H. armigera pode adaptar-se próxima de temperaturas ótimas, cerca de 25°C e em temperaturas baixas, quando estas oscilam como ocorre no campo. Além disso, H. armigera pode, provavelmente, se desenvolver no período entressafra por manter-se em diapausa por um longo período. / Abstract: Several species of insect cause damage to humans, including those related to agriculture. Pest insects cause 1/3 of the loss of production, thus, the control of these insects are fundamental. For pest control to be efficient, it is essential to know the biological characteristics of the insect, especially in relation to the abiotic factors. Temperature is the main factor that acts on the dynamics of insects' population, interfering in the survival, development, reproduction and behavior. Among the most severe pests, Helicoverpa armigera has a wide geographical distribution with records of occurrence in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and America. Besides the occurrence in almost all the continents, this species has a migratory habit. When conditions are not favorable to their survival, H. armigera can migrate for hundreds of miles in search of a place conducive to their survival. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of temperature on the development and adaptation in three progenies of H. armigera. It was concluded that H. armigera can adapt near to the optimal temperatures, around 25 ° C and at low temperatures as well, when they oscillate as it does in the field. In addition, H. armigera may probably develop in the off-season by staying diapause for a long period / Mestre

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD), / Until recently, Northwestern Australia was thought to be relatively free of serious fruit fly pests. Although a noxious strain, present in Darwin since 1985, was widely believed to be an infestation of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, from the East coast, the fruit flies present outside this area were believed to be the benign endemic species, B. aquilonis. However, during the year 2000, infestations of fruit flies were discovered on major commercial crops in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It was not known whether these outbreaks were due to an invasion of the major pest species, Bactrocera tryoni, a change in the behaviour of B. aquilonis, or a hybridisation event between the two species. Finding the source of these outbreaks has been complicated by the fact that, since B. tryoni and B. aquilonis are virtually indistinguishable morphologically, it was not known which species are present in the region. Traditionally any tryoni complex fly caught in the Northwest was called B. aquilonis based solely on location. In order to get a good population profile of the region, an extensive trapping program was set up to include flies from urban areas, commercial crops and natural areas where the benign strain is thought to remain. Tests of genetic differentiation and clustering analyses revealed a high degree of homogeneity in the Northwest samples, suggesting that just one species is present in the region. The Northwest samples were genetically differentiated from the Queensland samples but only to a small degree (FST =0.0153). MtDNA sequencing results also showed a small degree of differentiation between these regions. A morphological study of wing shape indicated that there are some minor identifiable morphological differences between East coast and Northwest laboratory reared flies. This difference was greater than that seen between B. jarvisi populations across the same geographic range. The results suggest that the flies caught in the Northwest are a separate population of B. tryoni. Soon after pest flies were discovered in Darwin, a population became established in Alice Springs. This population had a low genetic diversity compared with Queensland and Darwin populations, and showed evidence of being heavily founded. In 2000, an outbreak was discovered in the nearby town of Ti Tree. Due to the geographic and genetic similarity of these populations, Alice Springs was determined to be the source of the Ti Tree outbreak. To investigate the founding of these populations, a program was developed to estimate the propagule size. Using a simulation method seven different statistics were tested for estimating the propagule size of an outbreak population. For outbreaks originating from populations with high genetic diversity, the number of alleles was a good estimator of propagule size. When, however, the genetic diversity of the source population was already reduced, allele frequency measures, particularly the likelihood of obtaining the outbreak population from the source population, gave more accurate estimates. Applying this information to the Alice Springs samples, it was estimated that just five flies were needed to found the major population in and around Alice Springs. For Ti Tree, the propagule size was estimated to be 27 flies (minimum 10). In 2000, a much larger outbreak occurred in the developing horticultural region of Kununurra in northern Western Australia. An important question for the management of the problem is whether there is an established fly population or the flies are reinvading each year. This population was found to have a large amount of gene flow from the Northern Territory. Within the Kununurra samples, one group of flies was genetically differentiated from all the other samples. This group came from a small geographic area on the periphery of Kununurra and appeared to be the result of an invasion into this area at the time when the population was building up following the dry season. A further threat to the Northwest horticultural regions comes from B. jarvisi. A recent increase in the host range of this species has lead to speculation that it may become a greater pest in Northwestern Australia. At the present time, protocols for the population monitoring and disinfestation of this species are not in place. Here it is shown that B. jarvisi eggs are more heat tolerant than B. tryoni eggs and that monitoring of B. jarvisi populations is possible using cue lure traps placed according to fruiting time and location of their favoured host, Planchonia careya.

Rodents cause significant damage to agricultural crops throughout the world, including rice, the staple food for the increasing population of Southeast Asia. Little is known about the ecology of pest rodent species, resulting in much effort being concentrated on ineffective, time consuming control practices. This research was designed to understand the demography and habitat use of the major pest rodent (Rattus tanezumi) of the Banaue rice terraces in order to identify the most efficient time and location to undertake pest control. Rodent crop damage and associated yield loss was also assessed in order to provide information for a cost : benefit analysis of rodent control practices. And the beliefs, perceptions and practices of Banaue rice farmers were investigated to assist in identifying future compatible rodent control programs. Replicated cage trapping was undertaken for a twelve month period over the entire rice cropping season in two study sites in the Municipality of Banaue Philippines. The breeding season of R. tanezumi corresponded with periods of food availability from the transplanted to ripening stages of the rice crop. A non-breeding season occurred from the fallow to seedling stages. The distinct breeding season occurred within the rice fields and adjacent village and scrub habitats. Radio-tracked and spool-and-line tracked R. tanezumi moved from adjacent habitats into the rice field during the breeding season, and individuals persisted in all habitat types, including the rice field, during the fallow, nonbreeding season. Overall rice yield was significantly greater (43%) in areas where rodents were excluded by fencing compared to areas where rodents were not excluded. More rodent damage to rice tillers occurred at the booting than at the ripening stage of the rice crop. These results suggest that to prevent rodent damage, control should be undertaken at the end of the R. tanezumi non-breeding season (prior to transplanting), before rodent numbers multiply and crop damage occurs. Further, the cost-benefit analysis of non-chemical rodent control programs in Banaue, suggests that benefits accrue once yield loss is likely to exceed 5%.

No description available.

No description available.

Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm) is a major agricultural pest in Australia, Asia and Africa. Analysis of a midgut cDNA library revealed a surprising diversity of genes encoding lipases, enzymes that metabolise lipids. Prior to and during this project, 13 neural lipases and three acidic ones were discovered. These were classified and compared to other insect lipases using sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis. Novel non-catalytic subfamilies were discovered, including one containing an H. armigera lipase. At least three other subfamilies were found to contain H. armigera lipases. Lipidopteran lipases were found to be almost entirely distinct from Dipteran ones.

Rodents cause significant damage to agricultural crops throughout the world, including rice, the staple food for the increasing population of Southeast Asia. Little is known about the ecology of pest rodent species, resulting in much effort being concentrated on ineffective, time consuming control practices. This research was designed to understand the demography and habitat use of the major pest rodent (Rattus tanezumi) of the Banaue rice terraces in order to identify the most efficient time and location to undertake pest control. Rodent crop damage and associated yield loss was also assessed in order to provide information for a cost : benefit analysis of rodent control practices. And the beliefs, perceptions and practices of Banaue rice farmers were investigated to assist in identifying future compatible rodent control programs. Replicated cage trapping was undertaken for a twelve month period over the entire rice cropping season in two study sites in the Municipality of Banaue Philippines. The breeding season of R. tanezumi corresponded with periods of food availability from the transplanted to ripening stages of the rice crop. A non-breeding season occurred from the fallow to seedling stages. The distinct breeding season occurred within the rice fields and adjacent village and scrub habitats. Radio-tracked and spool-and-line tracked R. tanezumi moved from adjacent habitats into the rice field during the breeding season, and individuals persisted in all habitat types, including the rice field, during the fallow, nonbreeding season. Overall rice yield was significantly greater (43%) in areas where rodents were excluded by fencing compared to areas where rodents were not excluded. More rodent damage to rice tillers occurred at the booting than at the ripening stage of the rice crop. These results suggest that to prevent rodent damage, control should be undertaken at the end of the R. tanezumi non-breeding season (prior to transplanting), before rodent numbers multiply and crop damage occurs. Further, the cost-benefit analysis of non-chemical rodent control programs in Banaue, suggests that benefits accrue once yield loss is likely to exceed 5%.

Rodents cause significant damage to agricultural crops throughout the world, including rice, the staple food for the increasing population of Southeast Asia. Little is known about the ecology of pest rodent species, resulting in much effort being concentrated on ineffective, time consuming control practices. This research was designed to understand the demography and habitat use of the major pest rodent (Rattus tanezumi) of the Banaue rice terraces in order to identify the most efficient time and location to undertake pest control. Rodent crop damage and associated yield loss was also assessed in order to provide information for a cost : benefit analysis of rodent control practices. And the beliefs, perceptions and practices of Banaue rice farmers were investigated to assist in identifying future compatible rodent control programs. Replicated cage trapping was undertaken for a twelve month period over the entire rice cropping season in two study sites in the Municipality of Banaue Philippines. The breeding season of R. tanezumi corresponded with periods of food availability from the transplanted to ripening stages of the rice crop. A non-breeding season occurred from the fallow to seedling stages. The distinct breeding season occurred within the rice fields and adjacent village and scrub habitats. Radio-tracked and spool-and-line tracked R. tanezumi moved from adjacent habitats into the rice field during the breeding season, and individuals persisted in all habitat types, including the rice field, during the fallow, nonbreeding season. Overall rice yield was significantly greater (43%) in areas where rodents were excluded by fencing compared to areas where rodents were not excluded. More rodent damage to rice tillers occurred at the booting than at the ripening stage of the rice crop. These results suggest that to prevent rodent damage, control should be undertaken at the end of the R. tanezumi non-breeding season (prior to transplanting), before rodent numbers multiply and crop damage occurs. Further, the cost-benefit analysis of non-chemical rodent control programs in Banaue, suggests that benefits accrue once yield loss is likely to exceed 5%.