MONITORING MANGO PESTS WITHIN AN INTEGRATED PRODUCTION PROGRAM IN BRAZIL

Abstract

In Brazil, mango is one of the most technified and important crops, in the agricultural region of Petrolina-PE/Juazeiro-BA, located in the Sao Francisco River Valley, in the Brazilian Semi-Arid region. Social demands for better living quality have favored the use of new technologies, like Fruit Integrated Production System (FIP), which assures a rational production, a great economy and environmental preservation. With the implementation of FIP for mango in Petrolina/Juazeiro region, pest monitoring is one of the basic components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), that began in 1989 with fruit flies. The monitoring is accomplished by periodical sampling, involving mango phenology, experimental design, parts and number of sampled trees by area, action levels, pests and natural enemies. Main pests of mango crop at the Submedio Sao Francisco River Valley are: Anastrepha spp., Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erosomyia mangiferae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Aceria mangiferae (Acari: Eriophyidae), Selenothrips rubrocinctus and Frankliniella schultzei (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and lepidopteran affecting the inflorescence (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). For each pest, the sampling methodology and action levels have been used in 33 farms of this important region for approximately two years, comprising an area of 3,170.60 hectares.