Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-11-23T15:22:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cleia Gomes Vieira e Silva.pdf: 397357 bytes, checksum: 224e5b48f721843c7d8a272b57e0013f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-23T15:22:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cleia Gomes Vieira e Silva.pdf: 397357 bytes, checksum: 224e5b48f721843c7d8a272b57e0013f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-07-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Plants constitute natural sources of insecticide substances and have been used by mankind since Antiquity. It is also known that medicinal plants present great quantities of secondary compounds such as alkaloids, terpens, flavonoids and steroids which promote high resistance to the onset of pests and diseases. The genus Croton, which is made up of species that occur naturally in the State of Pernambuco, where many of them are used in the popular medicine and characterize themselves by the production of essential oil, owns expressive relevance founded on their sources of fixed and volatile components with recognized biological activity in the treatment of various illnesses. The knowledge that medicinal plants present high resistance to the onset of diseases and pests has led us to investigate the potential insecticide of crude ethanolic extracts from different parts of plants of the genus Croton against Plutella xylostella L. and of the essential oil of the species C. grewioides against Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman. All the investigated plants are native to the biome in Pernambuco with use in the popular medicine by the community where its occurrence is reported. The crude extracts were obtained through cold maceration, ethanol being used as solvent, from leaves and stalks of the species Croton jacobinensis Baill, C. micans Muell., C. rhamnifolius H.B.K and C. sellowii Baill. The essential oil, on the other hand, was obtainedthrough hydro-distillation from the leaves and stalk of C. grewioides. These extracts were diluted into previously determined concentrations by means of a pilot experiment and their activities were tested for the development and survival of Plutella xylostella L. To do so, with the aid of Potter’s Tower, eight-cm diameter cabbage disks, Brassica oleracea var. acephala L., were ground with different concentrations of the ethanolic extracts and offered to caterpillars confined into Petri’s dishes. Among the studied extracts, the ethanolic extract from leaves of C. rhamnifolium was the most toxic at the larval phase, followed by the ethanolic extract from the stalk of the same species, presenting CL50 of 14.95 and 42.40μg mL-1, respectively. The interference of the extract of C. rhamnifolius in the development of P. xylostella was also noticed. From the stalk and leaves of Croton grewioides Baill essential oils were extracted through hydro-distillation and then analyzed by GC/MS. This analysis revealed that both oils are made up of 22 compounds, in which the predominant chemical class was that of the phenylpropanoids, whose major representative was (E)-anetol (65.5% in the leaves and 47.8% in the stalk). The fumigant effect of both essential oils was assessed for the woodworm of beans, Z. subfasciatus, which presented itself as potential for the control of this pest. The essential oil of leaves presented itself about 3.4 times more effectivethan the essential oil from the stalk and the estimated values for the CL50 were 4.0 and 13.7 μg mL-1 of air, respectively. / As plantas constituem fontes naturais de substâncias inseticidas, e vêm sendo utilizadas pela humanidade desde a antiguidade. As plantas medicinais apresentam grandes quantidades de compostos secundários como alcalóides, terpenos, flavonóides e esteróides, que promovem alta resistência ao ataque de pragas e de doenças. O gênero Croton, que é constituído por espécies que ocorrem naturalmente no estado de Pernambuco, onde muitas delas são utilizadas na medicina popular. Estas plantas se caracterizam pela produção de óleo essencial e detém expressiva relevância alicerçada em suas fontes de componentes fixos e voláteis com reconhecida atividade biológica no tratamento de várias enfermidades. O conhecimento de que plantas medicinais apresentam alta resistência ao ataque de doenças e pragas motivou a investigação do potencial inseticida de extratos etanólicos brutos de diferentes partes de plantas do gênero Croton no controle de Plutella xylostella L. e do efeito fumigante de óleo s essenciais da espécie C. grewioides contra Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman. Todas as plantas investigadas são nativas do bioma pernambucano com uso na medicina popular pela comunidade onde sua ocorrência é registrada. Os extratos brutos foram obtidos por maceração a frio, utilizando como solvente o etanol, a partir de folhas e caules das espécies Croton jacobinensis Baill, C. micans Muell., C.rhamnifolius H.B.K. e C. sellowii Baill. Já o óleo essencial foi obtido por hidrodestilação a partir de folhas e caule de C. grewioides. Os extratos obtidos foram diluídos em concentrações previamente determinadas mediante experimento piloto e tiveram suas atividades testadas sobre o desenvolvimento e sobrevivência de Plutella xylostella L. Para isto, com auxílio de torre de Potter, discos de oito cm de diâmetro de folhas de couve, Brassica oleracea var. acephala L., foram pulverizados com diferentes concentrações dos extratos etanólicos, e oferecidos às larvas confinadas em placas de Petri. Dentre os extratos estudados, o extrato etanólico de folhas de C. rhamnifolium foi o mais tóxico à fase larval, seguido do extrato etanólico de caule da mesma espécie, apresentando CL50 de 14,95 e 42,40μg mL-1, respectivamente. Observou-se ainda uma interferência do extrato de C. rhamnifolius no desenvolvimento de P. xylostella. O óleo essencial obtido a partir do caule e folhas de Croton grewioides Baill. foi analisado por CG/EM. Um total de 22 compostos foi identificado. A classe química predominante foi fenilpropanóide, cujo representante majoritário, o (E)-anetol apresentou percentual de 65,5% no óleo de folha, e 47,8% no óleo do caule. Bioensaio de fumigação foi realizado contra o caruncho do feijão Z. subfasciatus. O óleo essencial de folhas foi cerca de 3,4 vezes mais tóxico eficaz do que o óleo essencial do caule cujos valores estimados para a CL50 foram 4,0 e 13,7 μgL-1 de ar, respectivamente.

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is economically and nutritionally an important legume, not only in Malawi, but in many parts of Africa and Latin America. Unfortunately, two bruchid species (Acanthoscelides obtectus Say, and Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman) are known to cause extensive damage in storage, reducing the economic importance, food value and planting value of the crop. The aim of this study was to: i) ascertain farmers’ perceptions of the importance of bruchids as storage pests, and to identify their preferred varietal traits in dry beans; ii) screen Malawian dry bean landraces for effective and adaptable sources of resistance to the two bruchid species; iii) determine the gene action and inheritance of bruchid resistance. Farmers’ perceptions on the importance of the two bruchid species to beans both in the field and in storage were established using a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in three extension planning areas (EPAs) in Lilongwe agricultural development division (ADD). Results confirmed that the two bruchid species are important storage pests, causing serious storage losses among smallholder farmers. In the absence of any control measures, farmers indicated that more than 50% of their stored beans could be lost to bruchids. Indigenous bruchid control measures are not very effective, making it necessary to search for other control methods. It was also clear from the PRA results that breeders need to consider both agronomic and culinary traits in bean cultivar development. This would enhance uptake of newly developed varieties. To address the problem of bruchid damage experienced by smallholder farmers, a total of 135 dry bean genotypes, comprising 77 landraces and 58 improved varieties (obtained from collaborating partners) were tested under laboratory infestation (nochoice test methods) and field infestation (free-choice test methods). The objective of this study was to identify effective sources of resistance to the two bruchid species. Results of the study showed that there was a wide variation among the genotypes for resistance to the two bruchid species. Overall results showed that 88% of the genotypes ranged from susceptible to highly susceptible to Z. subfasciatus and only 12% of the genotypes were moderately resistant to resistant. Genotype screening for resistance to A. obtectus showed that only 12.5% were resistant, whereas 87.5% were moderately to highly susceptible. All of the improved genotypes were 100% susceptible to A. obtectus in storage. One landrace, KK35, consistently showed a high level of resistance to both bruchids under laboratory infestation, with results similar to the resistant checks (SMARC 2 and SMARC 4), while another landrace, KK90, displayed stable resistance under both laboratory and field infestation. However, performance of most genotypes was not consistent with field and laboratory screenings, suggesting that mechanisms of bruchid resistance in the field are different from that in the laboratory and field screening should always be used to validate laboratory screening. Resistance in the field was not influenced by morphological traits. The seed coat played a significant role in conferring resistance to both bruchid species in the laboratory, whereas arcelin did not play any significant role in conferring resistance in the landraces. The inheritance of resistance to A. obtectus was studied in a 6 x 6 complete diallel mating design, involving crosses of selected Malawian dry bean landraces. The F1 crosses, their reciprocals, and six parents were infested with seven F1 generation (1 to 3 d old) insects of A. obtectus in a laboratory, no-choice test. There were significant differences among genotypes for general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA). However, SCA accounted for 81% of the sum of squares for the crosses, indicating predominance of the non-additive gene action contributing to bruchid resistance. A chi-square test for a single gene model showed that 5 of the 13 F2 populations fitted the 1:2:1 segregation ratio of resistant, intermediate and susceptible classes, respectively indicating partial dominance. The eight F2 populations did not conform to the two gene model of 1:4:6:4:1 segregation ratio of resistant, moderately resistant, moderately susceptible, susceptible and highly susceptible classes, respectively. Average degree of dominance was in the partial dominance range in five F3 populations, but in general resistance was controlled by over-dominance gene action in the F2 populations. The additive-dominance model was adequate to explain the variation among genotypes indicating that epistatic effects were not important in controlling the bruchid resistance. The frequency distribution of the 13 F3 populations for resistance to A. obtectus provided evidence for transgressive segregation, suggesting that resistance is conditioned by more than one gene. Reciprocal differences were not significant in the F2 generation seed; but were significant in four crosses in the F3 generation seed for adult bruchid emergence, suggesting that maternal effects or cytoplasmic gene effects also played a role in the inheritance of resistance to the common bean weevil. Through this study, important sources of bruchid resistance in dry bean have been identified in Malawian landraces (KK35, KK90 and KK73). These resistant sources will be used in a breeding programme to develop bruchid resistant bean cultivars, as well as improve resistance in susceptible commercial bean cultivars currently grown by farmers in Malawi. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.