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Brazil’s Embrapa establishes biocontrol for the main exotic plague of eucalyptus
Feb. 27, 2017
Report
- Latin America Biocontrol Market By Type (Bio insecticides, Bio fungicides, Bio herbicides, and Bionematicides), By Origin (Microbials, Beneficial Insects, and Bio chemicals), By Mode of Application, By Formulation, By Crop Type & By Country – Trends & Forecast to 2021
- BioControl Agents Market Forecast (2015 - 2020)
Brazil’s Embrapa Florestas has come to the aid of the country’s forestry sector by coming up with a new way of biologically controlling the main exotic plague of eucalyptus, Thaumastocoris peregrinus. It is the parasitoid Clerucoides noackae, a wasp of nearly 0.5 millimeters in length.
This biological control agent was selected after eight years of research and will be employed in the same way as any classic biological control in which the natural enemies found in the same region as the origin of the plague are used to do the job of saving the plant. The main challenge of the research was to multiply the wasp in the laboratory, since the parasitoid needs its eggs to reproduce.
“Due to the non-existence of techniques for creating the plague in a laboratory, it was essential to develop a viable methodology. We conducted studies about the bio-ecology of the bug, evaluating the different effects on species of eucalyptus and different temperatures during the development of the plague,” explained Leonardo Barbosa, a researcher at the Embrapa Florestas and responsible for the research and mass creation of the parasitoid.
For the multiplication of the wasp, a methodology employed in maintaining the wasp in laboratories under controlled temperature and humidity conditions, was used. These were fed with eucalyptus bouquets arranged in a bottle with water. “The T. peregrinus eggs were obtained in strips of paper towel placed on the eucalyptus bouquets and later used for the creation of C. noackae,” explained the researcher.
A plague of Australian origin, the Thaumastocoris peregrinus causes damages running into millions to the eucalyptus planted all over Brazil, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. According to recent studies, 14 percent of loss was accrued in wood production after a peak attack in forests with plants three years of age. Forest producers estimate that in the State of São Paulo alone, between 2010 and 2014, the damage caused by the pest attack was close to R$ 280 million, considering only direct losses in annual increment of wood and final production.
Source: AgroNews
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