The beetle Amerrhinus ynca Sahlberg, 1823 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) causes damage to several species of the Arecaceae family. The larvae of this palm weevil damage palm trees by causing perforations in the leaf rachis, obstructing the flow of nutrients to the plant. To date, are no registered insecticides for the control of A. ynca. An efficient control strategy would be the use of synthetic pheromones of this beetle for integrated pest management tactics. In this work, the aggregation pheromone of A. ynca was identified from adults collected as larvae and pupae from the rachis of coconut palm. The volatile compounds produced by A. ynca were collected via headspace aeration of adult beetles, and the identification of the pheromone was performed with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), GC-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (GC-FTIR) and GC-electroantenographic detector (GC-EAD). Dual-choice olfactometry experiments were performed to evaluate the bioactivity of the synthetic pheromone. GC analyses showed the presence of a male-specific compound that was identified as octadecanal. In GC-EAD analyses, synthetic octadecanal elicited responses of A. ynca female antennae. Behavioral bioassays showed attractiveness of synthetic compound for males and females, indicating octadecanal as the aggregation pheromone of A. ynca.

RESUMO O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência do fungicida Ciproconazole (bula:100 g i.a/litro) no controle de doenças foliares e subsequente aumento da produtividade do coqueiro nas condições do Nordeste Brasileiro. O experimento foi conduzido no município de Una, BA, durante dois anos com plantas da variedade Anão Verde do Brasil com 20 anos de idade, recebendo uma adubação convencional. Estas plantas estavam naturalmente infectadas pelas doenças: Lixa Pequena, Lixa Grande e Queima das Folhas. O tratamento utilizado foi a aplicação no tronco, de 10 ml do fungicida Ciproconazole (1g i.a/coqueiro), repetidas três vezes. Observou-se que o número de folhas funcionais, quando comparados a testemunha aumentou em média de 15,24 para 20,12 enquanto o incremento da produtividade média foi de 38,4 frutos/planta/ano, correspondendo a 57,8% em relação às plantas não tratadas.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the fungicide Cyproconazole (bull:100 g i.a/liter) in controlling foliar diseases and subsequently increasing coconut productivity in the Northeast region of Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Una, Bahia State, during two years, with 20-year-old plants of the Brazilian Green Dwarf variety receiving conventional fertilization. These plants were naturally infected with the diseases: small verrucosis, large verrucosis and leaf blight. The used treatment was application of 10 ml cyproconazole fungicide (1 g i.a/coconut) on the trunk, which was repeated three times. The number of functional leaves in the treated plants, when compared to control plants, had an average increase from 15.24 to 20.12, while the average yield increment was 38.4 fruits/plant/year, corresponding to 57.8%, compared to non-treated plants.

Foi avaliada a ocorrência do parasitóide Billaea rhynchophorae (Blanchard) em larvas de Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) em plantações das palmeiras piaçava (Attalea funifera Mart.) e dendê (Elaeis guineensis Jacquin) no Sudeste da Bahia. As porcentagens mensais de parasitismo foram determinadas durante 13 meses, entre novembro de 2000 e novembro de 2001, comparando-se o número de casulos de R. palmarum parasitados e não-parasitados. O índice médio de parasitismo foi 40%, variando de 57% em novembro de 2000 a 18% em julho de 2001. Enquanto não existe método de criação massal do parasitóide, recomenda-se uma prática simples de manejo que visa a preservar seu efeito benéfico nas plantações de palmeiras.

The occurrence of the tachinid parasitoid Billaea rhynchophorae (Blanchard) on larvae of the palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) was evaluated in plantations of piassava palm (Attalea funifera Mart.) and African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacquin), in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. The monthly percentages of parasitism were evaluated during 13 months, from November 2000 to November 2001, based on the comparison between the number of parasitized and non-parasitized cocoons of R. palmarum. Mean parasitism was 40% and ranged from 50% in November 2000 to 18% in July 2001. While there is no method of mass reproduction of the parasitoid, a simple management practice is recommended, in order to preserve its beneficial effects in palm plantations.