ABSTRACT. Natural biological control is an important alternative for the control of insect pests using natural enemies that occur naturally in agroecosystems. The potential of these insects can increase when they are adequately managed. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the populations of natural enemies in soybean cultivars with different growth habits planted in different arrangements. The experiment consisted of eight treatments: four planting arrangements and two soybean cultivars, with four replicates. The populations of natural enemies were evaluated from the vegetative stage V3 to crop harvest using a shaking-cloth. A population survey of the beneficial arthropods present on the soil surface was performed in the reproductive stages R2 and R3 with the installation of modified pitfall traps. The main natural enemies that occurred in the culture were Class Arachnida, Order Heteroptera, Order Hymenoptera, Order Coleoptera and Order Dermaptera. The populations of the natural enemies assessed using the shaking-cloth did not show significant differences. However, in the evaluations with the modified pitfall traps in the reproductive stage R3 in the crossed arrangement, the populations of the Coleoptera and Dermaptera orders were higher in the determinate cultivar than in the indeterminate cultivar.

ABSTRACT. The density and distribution of soybean plants can interfere in the plant growth stage and yield, as well as phytosanitary management of this crop. Thus, innovations in production systems must be followed by improvements in pesticide application technology. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of soybean sowing arrangements on fungicide application technology, with or without air assistance in the spray boom, using qualitative and quantitative assessments of the spray deposits. In the experiments, a randomized block design with split plots was used. Four soybean sowing arrangements: Conventional (CO), Double row (DR), Narrow row (NR), and Crossed rows (CR) composed the main plots, and fungicide application technologies with air assistance (AA) and without air assistance (WA) in the spray boom composed the subplots, with four replications. For the assessment of spray deposits, Brilliant Blue tracer dye was used in the spray solution, and the spray coverage was evaluated using water-sensitive papers. The effects of different soybean sowing arrangements on deposits and spray coverage were limited. However, an increase in spray deposits on the lower part of the soybean plants was observed with air assistance in the spray boom.

ABSTRACT: Improved spray deposition can be attained by electrostatically charging spray droplets, which increases the attraction of droplets to plants and decreases operator exposure to pesticide and losses to the environment. However, this technique alone is not sufficient to achieve desirable penetration of the spray solution into the crop canopy; thus, air assistance can be added to the electrostatic spraying to further improve spray deposition. This study was conducted to compare different spraying technologies on spray deposition and two-spotted spider mite control in cut chrysanthemum. Treatments included in the study were: conventional TJ 8003 double flat fan nozzles, conventional TXVK-3 hollow cone nozzles, semi-stationary motorized jet launched spray with electrostatic spray system (ESS) and air assistance (AA), and semi-stationary motorized jet launched spray with AA only (no ESS). To evaluate the effect of these spraying technologies on the control of two-spotted spider mite, a control treatment was included that did not receive an acaricide application. The AA spraying technology, with or without ESS, optimized spray deposition and provided satisfactory two-spotted spider mite control up to 4 days after application.

A ocorrência de Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) foi relatada pela primeira vez em pomar comercial de cítrus no Estado de São Paulo (SP). Altos níveis de infestação de H. armigera foram observados em outubro de 2012, na cidade de Botucatu-SP. As larvas alimentaram-se em todas as partes de plantas. As lesões nas folhas causaram drástica redução da área foliar, e o ataque aos frutos ocorreu a partir do estágio inicial de desenvolvimento até a fase do fruto maduro. Assim, o relato da primeira ocorrência de H. armigera acrescenta a cultura de citros à lista de hospedeiros desta praga, e é de grande importância, pois confirma a polifagia e o potencial de dispersão de H. armigera.

The occurrence of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) was first reported in citrus orchard in the state of São Paulo (SP). High infestation levels of H. armigera were observed in October 2012, in the city of Botucatu, SP. The larvae was fed of all parts of the plants. The injuries on the leaves caused drastic reduction in the leaf area and the fruits attack occurred from an early stage of development to the ripe fruit. Thus, the first occurrence of H. armigera in this citrus culture adds to the list of hosts of this pest, and is of great importance, because it confirms H. armigera potential dispersion and polyphagia.