Lema quadrivittata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): morphological description and its use as a biological control agent of Commelina benghalensis L.

Autor: Juliana Elias de Oliveira, Leandro Pin Dalvi, Fábio Luiz de Oliveira, Dirceu Pratissoli, Gilberto Santos Andrade, Joab Luhan Ferreira Pedrosa
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta Scientiarum: Biological Sciences, Vol 44, Iss 1 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1679-9283
1807-863X
DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v44i1.60418
Popis: Weed infestation is one of the main challenges in crop management. The environmental, economic and social impacts attributed to pesticides lead to the search for new sustainable possibilities for the management of these plants, especially for Commelina benghalensis, which is considered one of the worst weeds in the world. This work consists of a description of the external morphology of the insect Lema quadrivittata and its potential use as a biological regulator of C. benghalensis, a weed plant, which suffers effective injuries by this natural enemy. Plots with high infestation of C. benghalensis were inspected to find plant damage and its possible causes. Upon identifying the occurrence of L. quadrivittata, it was decided to cultivate C. benghalensis in a greenhouse in order to observe the interaction of the insect with the plant. In this sense, during the study, we identified the insect L. quadrivittata by describing its morphological structures of adults and larvae and its interaction with C. benghalensis as a biological control agent. This work is an approach to the attack of L. quadrivittata on C. benghalensis. Future studies are needed to indicate the potential of this insect as a biological regulator of this weed from the knowledge of its behavior, morphology and evaluations of potential hosts.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals