The spittlebug, Mahanarva spectabilis, causes two types of injury to forage crops. The nymphs constantly suck the sap, causing the whole plant to yellow. The other type of damage is caused by the adult spittlebug, which feeds on shoot, leaves and sprouts, causing a phytotoxic response that varies among grass species used in pastures. Given the impact of this insect on forage crops, it is important to understand how global changes may influence its ecology and thus assess whether future i ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Spittlebug, Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) is capable to cause drastic losses in production and quality of pastures established with grasses. Currently, the use a grass resistant cultivar, to be obtained by means of constitutive antibiosis, is the best spittlebug controlling method. However, the time required for releasing a cultivar after detecting a spittlebug-resistant strain is relatively long. Allied to this, one should take into consideration that the adaptations of

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

The pest aphids Sipha flava and Rhopalosiphum padi have caused significant injuries in elephantgrass and brachiaria swards, respectively. Thus, the objective of this project was to evaluate the bioecology of these pest insects and the predator Chrysoperla externa. The biological aspects of the pests were studied at 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32ºC. Temperatures of 20ºC and 24ºC were more favorable for insect development, and this temperature range is the most appropriate for t ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

A few years ago the carmine cochineal was introduced in the Northeast of Brazil, and its population slowly expanded across the forage cactus plantations of that region. With the occurrence of suitable growth conditions during the drought of 2012, such scale insect reached the condition of pest, and decimated or compromised the productivity of thousands of hectares of forage cactus. It is interesting to note that the long period without drought influenced farmers to neglect the renovation of thei

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015