Clorantraniliprole mediando a sobrevivência e o comportamento de adultos de Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) em tomateiro

Abstract

In some orders, such as Lepidoptera, the young phases of the insects are the ones that feed on the plants and cause damage, leading to the need to search for methods that are effective in controlling the pest phase, as is the case of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). However, the phase responsible for the dispersal of pests are adult insects. An insecticide that acts in several phases of the life cycle of the pest, can present greater control efficiency and greater amplitude of action, possessing greater capacity in reducing the population of the insect. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the lethal concentrations for caterpillars and adults of T. absoluta and to evaluate whether the insecticide chlorantraniliprole influences the behavior and oviposition of adults of T. absoluta as well as the mortality of caterpillars. The study was conducted at the Federal University of Viçosa, Rio Paranaíba Campus. The population of T. absoluta was started from caterpillars collected in tomato production and created in the laboratory, being used in toxicity studies. After the definition of lethal concentrations (LCs) of chlorantraniliprole, the sublethal effect in laboratory oviposition tests, and on oviposition and mortality of adults in field trials were evaluated. In the study of toxicity to caterpillars and adults, toxicity was higher for caterpillars than for adults in all studied LCs. The lethal concentrations LC10 and LC50 selected for the study of the sublethal effect of chlorantraniliprole were 0.056 mg i.a. mL-1 and 0.137 mg i.a. mL-1, respectively. The insecticide chlorantraniliprole caused mortality in caterpillars and adults of T. absoluta, in addition to presenting a sublethal effect, reducing both the number of eggs, in laboratory and field trials, as the number of adults of T. absoluta.