Survey of Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) in the Ipomoea potatoes crop

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.813452413063

• Palavras-chave: Management; Pests; Control.

• Keywords: Management; Pests; Control.

• Abstract:

  Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea potatoes) are one of the most consumed foods in the world, occupying 5th position in the ranking, with a production of 90 million tons in an area of 8.06 million hectares. With such production, it is natural that there are several insect pests associated with the crop, among which Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) stands out, a coleoptera found in all regions of Brazil. E. postfasciatus is considered the main pest of the crop. Therefore, in 2015, a population survey of E. postfasciatus was conducted at the UFPI Center for Agricultural Sciences with the aim of quantifying the size of the beetle's population in fields cultivated with Ipomoea potatoes. The survey was carried out in the 1st half of that year, from January to June. The traps with attractive pheromones were placed in the field in a zigzag pattern and collected every 7 days to count the insects. The objective of the work was to initially carry out a quantitative survey of the aforementioned pest, to take measures based on Ecological Pest Management (MEP). Some other species were found throughout the experiment, namely: Megastes pusialis and Megastes grandalis, which are Lepidoptera Crambidae; Diabrotica speciosa (Germ.) and Sternocolaspis quatuordecimcostata (Lefèvre), both coleopterans belonging to the Chrysomelidae family. These four species totaled 20%, including ants and termites, with 80% of the insects collected being E. postfasciatus. As a result, the experiment allowed us to survey the quantity of E. postfasciatus, in addition to enabling the monitoring of the insect's life cycle. Edaphoclimatic factors such as high temperatures and low rainfall present in Piauí did not significantly affect the insect's development. It is concluded that E. Postfasciatus has great adaptive capacity, with rapid spread and serious economic damage to the crop, requiring MEP measures for control.