ABSTRACT Cotton is an alternative host for Edessa meditabunda (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), especially after the soybean harvest in surrounding areas, when large numbers of insects invade cotton fields and damage reproductive structures such as flowers and developing bolls. However, no studies on its occurrence and spatial distribution have been conducted in cotton. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the temporal variation and spatial distribution of E. meditabunda in the alternative host plant, Gossypium hirsutum. The study was carried out in an area of 1.1 ha planted with cotton that was divided in 64 plots of 169 m2 each, where entire cotton plants were examined weekly and E. meditabunda nymphs and adults were counted. Dispersion rates and theoretical frequency distributions were calculated and analyzed with significance level at 5%. Assessments were carried out from seedling emergence until the appearance of bolls, but E. meditabunda was present only during the reproductive stage of cotton plants. This study detected the dispersal of this stink bug from late-cycle soybean fields to cotton, indicating cotton’s potential as an alternative host plant, providing shelter and food. Based on aggregation indices, the spatial distribution of nymphs and adults in cotton was aggregated at the beginning of the infestation, but tended toward randomness as bolls reached maturity. The occurrence of E. meditabunda in cotton was best described by the Poisson distribution with significance level at 5%.

RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a composição faunística de insetos e sua flutuação populacional em Avena sativa na região sul do Mato Grosso do Sul. O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda Experimental da Universidade Federal de Grande Dourados (FAECA), em Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, em uma área de três hectares divididos em 80 lotes de 169 m2 cada, nos anos de 2014 e 2015. As avaliações foram realizadas semanalmente por amos-tragem da área em uma estrutura metálica de 0,25 m2, perfazendo um total de dez avaliações. Dentro da estrutura, dez plantas foram examinadas para pulgões e todas as plantas foram inspecionadas quanto a outros insetos. Baseado na análise faunística (abundância, constância, frequência e dominância), oito espécies foram observadas durante os dois anos de estudo. As espécies mais frequentes, abundantes, dominantes e constantes foram Rhopalosiphum padi, Spodoptera frugiperda e dípteros da família Syrphidae. A população de R. padi aumentou até aproximadamente o 40° dia após a emergência (DAE), momento esse em que também houve a maior presença de sirfídeos. A partir deste ponto, ocorreu a diminuição na população de R. padi. O pulgão R. padi foi o principal inseto observado em A. sativa durante os dois anos de estudo, mas para-lelamente houve um bom controle natural por sirfídeos, sendo dispensável, portanto, a necessidade de intervenções químicas.

ABSTRACT This study was aimed at examining the composition of insects and fluctuations in their populations in Avena sativa in southern Mato Grosso do Sul. The study was carried out at the experimental farm of the Federal University of Grande Dourados (FAECA) in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, in 2014 and 2015, in an area of three hectares divided into 80 plots of 169 m2 each. The assessments were carried out weekly by sampling the area within a 0.25-m2 metal frame, totaling ten evaluations. Within the frame, ten plants were examined for aphids and all plants were inspected for other insects. Based on the faunistic analysis (abundance, constancy, frequency, and dominance), eight species were observed during the two years of study. The most frequent, abundant, dominant, and recurring species were Rhopalosiphum padi, Spodoptera frugiperda and dipterans of the family Syrphidae (hoverfly). The population of R. padi increased until approximately the 40th day after emergence (DAE), when the highest abundance of hoverflies was also observed. After that, the population of R. padi decreased. The aphid R. padi was the main insect observed in A. sativa during the two years of study but were naturally controlled by hoverflies; therefore, chemical intervention was not needed.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a composição faunística de insetos-pragas que ocorrem durante o período de vazio sanitário em restos culturais de algodoeiro (Gossypium hirsutum) em Mato Grosso do Sul. Foram estudados os municípios de Alcinópolis, Chapadão do Sul, Costa Rica, Aral Moreira, Dourados e Sidrolândia. Utilizou-se um delineamento com duas repetições por município. Cada repetição foi composta por cem pontos aleatórios, e cada ponto correspondia a uma planta de algodão totalmente vistoriada, para contabilizar os insetos-pragas sobre ela. Realizaram-se a análise faunística e a curva de rarefação das espécies. Durante o período de avaliação, foi observado um total de 23 espécies em restos culturais de algodoeiro, sendo as com maior frequência e abundância Bemisia tabaci, Aphis gossypii, Frankliniella schultzei e Anthonomus grandis. O complexo de lagartas predominou sobre a variedade de algodoeiro não Bt em Dourados, e Chapadão do Sul foi o município com maior diversidade de espécies. Apesar de obrigatória, a destruição de soqueiras no vazio sanitário não conseguiu eliminar totalmente os insetos-pragas no ano deste estudo; dentre estes insetos-pragas, destaca-se A. grandis, que influencia a dinâmica do controle de pragas no algodoeiro.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to analyze the faunistic composition of the insect pests that occur during the fallow period in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) crop residues in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The study sites were the municipalities of Alcinópolis, Chapadão do Sul, Costa Rica, Aral Moreira, Dourados, and Sidrolândia. A sampling design with two replicates per municipality was used. Each replicate comprised 100 random points, and each point corresponded to a cotton plant that was entirely inspected, to count the insect pests on it. The obtained fauna was analyzed and a rarefaction curve of the species was generated. During the evaluation period, a total of 23 species were recorded in the cotton crop residue, and the most frequent and abundant were Bemisia tabaci, Aphis gossypii, Frankliniella schultzei, and Anthonomus grandis. The caterpillars were predominantly found on the non-Bt cotton crops in Dourados, and Chapadão do Sul was the municipality that exhibited the greatest species diversity. Despite being mandatory, the destruction of cotton stalks during the fallow period was not able to completely eliminate the insect pests during the study period; among these insect pests, A. grandis stands out, a species that affects the dynamics of cotton pest control.