Plant Health and the Science of Pests and Diseases

The health/disease duality has developed alongside human history either as a struggle for survival or as a challenge of the human being to effectively get to know himself. To speak about pests and diseases of plants may not be as exciting as when speaking of human beings; however, entomology and phytopathology hold methodological similarities to conventional medicine, which, thus, allow for correlations among them. After all, plant protection and human medical science are based under common epistemological principles of modern scientific thought. Hence, the goal of this essay is to disclose certain disagreements of the disciplines of phytopathology and entomology with agroecological based science; yet, giving way to a discussion according to ecological principles. This is a theoretical essay, based on bibliographical research and on the direct experience of the authors with family farmers in the South of Brazil during the last 20 years

Infestação natural a campo de Acanthoscelides obtectus em variedades crioulas de feijão, na serra catarinense, sul do Brasil

O caruncho do feijão, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) é a principal praga de feijão armazenado e se encontra distribuída em todas as regiões produtoras de feijão da América Latina. Essa espécie apresenta infestação cruzada isto é, podem infestar os grãos ainda no campo e consequentemente serem levados para os silos e armazéns junto com os grãos colhidos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi detectar diferenças entre 15 variedades crioulas de feijão, cultivadas por agricultores familiares ao ataque de A. obtectus a campo. No período da colheita foram coletadas ao acaso 50 vagens por parcela totalizando 200 por variedade de feijão. No laboratório as vagens foram acondicionadas em potes plásticos com tampa microperfurada e mantidas em sala climatizada a temperatura de 25 ± 2ºC e umidade relativa do ar de 70 ± 10 % durante 45 dias. Diariamente contou-se o número de insetos emergidos que eram retirados dos potes e eliminados. Concluiu-se que as variedades “Tibagi” e “Costa Rica” mostraram menor grau de infestação enquanto as variedades “Mourinho” e “Vermelho” foram as que apresentaram alto grau de infestação.The bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is the main stored bean pest and is distributed in all producing regions of beans in Latin America. This species presents a cross infestation, ie they infest grains still in the field and are consequently they are taken into the grain store and warehouses with the harvested grain. The objective of this study was to detect differences between 15 bean landraces cultivated by farmers to the attack of A. obtectus in the field. At harvest time they were randomly collected 50 pods per plots totaling 200 pods per variety of beans. In the laboratory the pods were placed in plastic pots with microperforated cover and maintained in a room with the temperature of 25 ± 2 ° C and relative humidity of 70 ± 10% for 45 days. Daily was counted the number of emerged insects and were removed from the pots and eliminated. It was concluded that the varieties "Tibagi" and "Costa Rica" showed a lower degree of infestation while varieties "Mourinho" and "Red" showed the high degree of infestation.Eje: A1 Sistemas de producción de base agroecológica (Trabajos científicos)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Infestação natural a campo de Acanthoscelides obtectus em variedades crioulas de feijão, na serra catarinense, sul do Brasil

O caruncho do feijão, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) é a principal praga de feijão armazenado e se encontra distribuída em todas as regiões produtoras de feijão da América Latina. Essa espécie apresenta infestação cruzada isto é, podem infestar os grãos ainda no campo e consequentemente serem levados para os silos e armazéns junto com os grãos colhidos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi detectar diferenças entre 15 variedades crioulas de feijão, cultivadas por agricultores familiares ao ataque de A. obtectus a campo. No período da colheita foram coletadas ao acaso 50 vagens por parcela totalizando 200 por variedade de feijão. No laboratório as vagens foram acondicionadas em potes plásticos com tampa microperfurada e mantidas em sala climatizada a temperatura de 25 ± 2ºC e umidade relativa do ar de 70 ± 10 % durante 45 dias. Diariamente contou-se o número de insetos emergidos que eram retirados dos potes e eliminados. Concluiu-se que as variedades “Tibagi” e “Costa Rica” mostraram menor grau de infestação enquanto as variedades “Mourinho” e “Vermelho” foram as que apresentaram alto grau de infestação.The bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is the main stored bean pest and is distributed in all producing regions of beans in Latin America. This species presents a cross infestation, ie they infest grains still in the field and are consequently they are taken into the grain store and warehouses with the harvested grain. The objective of this study was to detect differences between 15 bean landraces cultivated by farmers to the attack of A. obtectus in the field. At harvest time they were randomly collected 50 pods per plots totaling 200 pods per variety of beans. In the laboratory the pods were placed in plastic pots with microperforated cover and maintained in a room with the temperature of 25 ± 2 ° C and relative humidity of 70 ± 10% for 45 days. Daily was counted the number of emerged insects and were removed from the pots and eliminated. It was concluded that the varieties "Tibagi" and "Costa Rica" showed a lower degree of infestation while varieties "Mourinho" and "Red" showed the high degree of infestation.Eje: A1 Sistemas de producción de base agroecológica (Trabajos científicos)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Infestação natural a campo de Acanthoscelides obtectus em variedades crioulas de feijão, na serra catarinense, sul do Brasil

O caruncho do feijão, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) é a principal praga de feijão armazenado e se encontra distribuída em todas as regiões produtoras de feijão da América Latina. Essa espécie apresenta infestação cruzada isto é, podem infestar os grãos ainda no campo e consequentemente serem levados para os silos e armazéns junto com os grãos colhidos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi detectar diferenças entre 15 variedades crioulas de feijão, cultivadas por agricultores familiares ao ataque de A. obtectus a campo. No período da colheita foram coletadas ao acaso 50 vagens por parcela totalizando 200 por variedade de feijão. No laboratório as vagens foram acondicionadas em potes plásticos com tampa microperfurada e mantidas em sala climatizada a temperatura de 25 ± 2ºC e umidade relativa do ar de 70 ± 10 % durante 45 dias. Diariamente contou-se o número de insetos emergidos que eram retirados dos potes e eliminados. Concluiu-se que as variedades “Tibagi” e “Costa Rica” mostraram menor grau de infestação enquanto as variedades “Mourinho” e “Vermelho” foram as que apresentaram alto grau de infestação.The bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is the main stored bean pest and is distributed in all producing regions of beans in Latin America. This species presents a cross infestation, ie they infest grains still in the field and are consequently they are taken into the grain store and warehouses with the harvested grain. The objective of this study was to detect differences between 15 bean landraces cultivated by farmers to the attack of A. obtectus in the field. At harvest time they were randomly collected 50 pods per plots totaling 200 pods per variety of beans. In the laboratory the pods were placed in plastic pots with microperforated cover and maintained in a room with the temperature of 25 ± 2 ° C and relative humidity of 70 ± 10% for 45 days. Daily was counted the number of emerged insects and were removed from the pots and eliminated. It was concluded that the varieties "Tibagi" and "Costa Rica" showed a lower degree of infestation while varieties "Mourinho" and "Red" showed the high degree of infestation.Eje: A1 Sistemas de producción de base agroecológica (Trabajos científicos)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Pest and Disease Management of Potato Crops with Homeopathic Preparations and Germplasm Variability

The Plateau of Santa Catarina state, Brazil, is the main potato seed producer of the country. Its regional climate, however, with wet summers has been pointed out as the main factor for restricting productive quality and raising prices. This research had, thus, the objective of studying the efficacy of homeopathic preparations, homemade formulations and genetic variability in the management of pests and diseases at field conditions on organic farming systems of potato crops. Two field experiments were installed during the 2006/07 crop season. In experiment 1, the following genotypes were planted as treatments: Catucha and Epagri (landrace), Monalisa and Agata (Holland), and Panda (Germany). In experiment 2, the statistical design was a split plot with the Monalisa, Catucha and Epagri genotypes as sub plots, and nine spray preparations as the main plot as follows: Chamomilla 60CH, Silicea 60CH, Kali 60CH, Thuya 60CH, biotherapic of Phytophthora infestans 60CH, water 60CH, the homemade preparations of Bordeaux mixture at 0,3% and of propolis extract at 0,5%, and, finally, a no-intervention treatment. Results showed that the Catucha genotype, a bred landrace, yielded 21 t ha-1 and presented the lowest disease incidence. Even though no preparation differed significantly from another; the Thuya homeopathic treatment yielded the best results with more than 26 t ha-1. Natural enemies were not affected by any of the spray preparations