Abstract
The aim of the present study was to identify Aleurodicus cocois resistant genotypes among five dwarf cashew clones available in the germplasm bank of Embrapa/Centro Nacional de Pesquisa Agroindústria Tropical. Free-choice and no-choice tests were applied in order to evaluate the relative attractiveness of the clones and the oviposition preferences, egg-to-adult development times and adult emergence rates of the pest. In comparison with other clones, PRO143/7 exhibited the lowest attraction to the whitefly and was least preferred for oviposition in the free-choice test. Conversely, CCP76 attracted the highest number of A. cocois and was preferred for oviposition. In the no-choice test, the rates of emergence of adults from clones BRS274, CCP76 and PRO143/7 varied between 53.0 and 56.8%, values that were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of clones BRS226 and EMBRAPA51, which were 72.34 and 75.16%, respectively. Some of the cashew clones tested showed antibiotic (CCP76, PRO143/7 and BRS274) and antixenotic (PRO143/7 and BRS226) resistance to A. cocois. These clones are good candidates for use in breeding programs of cashew.
Highlights
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.; Anacardiaceae) is native to northeastern Brazil, a region encompassing the main centers of production of cashew nuts, oil and pseudofruits in the country
The results of the free-choice test (Table I) revealed that from the five tested clones, PRO143/7 was the least attractive to A. cocois, as shown by the significantly lower (p< 0.05) mean number of adults found on leaves after 24 h of assay, and the very low number of insects remaining after 48 h
The highest egg count was found in the CCP76 clone, whereas PRO143/7 showed the lowest number, which did not significantly differ from BRS226
Summary
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.; Anacardiaceae) is native to northeastern Brazil, a region encompassing the main centers of production of cashew nuts, oil and pseudofruits (peduncles) in the country. The establishment of extensive areas cultivated with cashew and the absence of effective control of arthropod pests and diseases, have generated imbalance of the agroecosystem and potentiated phytosanitary problems that can reduce crop productivity. In this context, intense infestations of the cashew whitefly, Aleurodicus cocois (Curtis, 1846) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), have caused significant losses to cashew crops in recent times (Mesquita & Braga-Sobrinho 2013, Mesquita et al 2016) and the insect is considered an important pest.
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