Insetos do tomateiro e o MIP da traça em cultivo protegido

Abstract

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are one of the most important crops on the global agricultural scene and are widely grown due to their economic importance and nutritional value. Serra da Ibiapaba, located in the state of Ceará, is one of the main vegetable producing regions in Brazil, and stands out for its use of protected cultivation system technologies, the main one being the roof, which favor sustainable, high-quality production. The main objective of this study was to analyze and evaluate tomato moth management strategies, with an emphasis on the use of IPM techniques in substrate crops. The experiment was carried out in the city of Guaraciaba do Norte, in the Serra da Ibiapaba, between September 9, 2023 and April 30, 2024, in a greenhouse measuring 52 m x 50 m, totaling 2,600 m², using the Sweet Heaven variety. To capture and monitor the different pests, specific colored traps were used, such as the blue and yellow traps, which are effective at attracting thrips, whiteflies and aphids. However, the pest with the greatest impact identified in protected cultivation was Tuta absoluta. To specifically monitor the tomato moth, several delta traps with pheromones were installed. In addition to the traps inside the greenhouse, delta traps with pheromones were placed outside the structure to monitor external infestation pressure. Between September 9, 2023 and April 30, 2024, 12,089 adults of Tuta absoluta were captured over a period of 235 days. During the harvest period, which ran from November to April, 22,293.80 kg of grape tomatoes were harvested. Of this total, only 207.59 kg (0.93%) corresponded to fruit damaged by the tomato moth. To control the tomato moth in the greenhouse, insecticides were selected on the basis of their mode of action and safety interval (grace period). The infestation criteria that determined the control actions included the number of adult insects caught in the traps (two per trap/day), the presence of live larvae and pupae in leaves with mines (above 10%) and the percentage of fruit attacked (above 2%). As a complement to chemical control, regular spraying was carried out with commercial biological products with formulations based on Bacillus thuringiensis and neem oil (azadirachtin), applied every two days. The efficiency of the management employed was evident in the low rate of attack on the fruit, despite the high number of adults caught in the traps, where only 0.93% of the fruit showed superficial symptoms of attack, without the presence of larvae inside the fruit.