Abstract
Aiming to contribute to the development of alternative control methods of the coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), a search for plants able to produce active substances against this insect was carried out, with species collected during different periods of time in the Alto Rio Grande region, (Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil). Coffee leaves containing L. coffeella mines were joined with 106 extracts from 77 plant species and, after 48 hours, the dead and alive caterpillars were counted. The extracts from Achillea millefolium, Citrus limon, Glechoma hederacea, Malva sylvestris, Mangifera indica, Mentha spicata, Mirabilis jalapa, Musa sapientum, Ocimum basiculum, Petiveria alliaceae, Porophyllum ruderale, Psidium guajava, Rosmarinus officinalis, Roupala montana, Sambucus nigra and Tropaeolum majus showed the highest mortality rates.
Highlights
The coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), is considered to be one of the main coffee pests, since the corresponding larvae feed on mesophyllic leaf tissues, resulting in plantation defoliation that may account for an 80% loss in coffee production (Reis, 1990; Gallo et al, 2002)
The most employed methods to control this insect are based on the use of synthetic insecticides, which have not been as efficient as desired to reduce L. coffeella population
For 13 plant species collected between May/2004 and June/2004 (Table 1), no freeze-drying was carried out to avoid a loss of volatiles (Bos et al, 2002)
Summary
The coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), is considered to be one of the main coffee pests, since the corresponding larvae feed on mesophyllic leaf tissues, resulting in plantation defoliation that may account for an 80% loss in coffee production (Reis, 1990; Gallo et al, 2002). The most employed methods to control this insect are based on the use of synthetic insecticides, which have not been as efficient as desired to reduce L. coffeella population. These products have favored biological imbalances such as the development of secondary pests and have contaminated human beings and the environment with harmful substances (Souza et al, 1998). Juss on L. coffeella, this product has affected the development of larvae and adult emergence of this insect (Venzon et al, 2005) Another example is larvicidal, antifeedant and oviposition deterrent effects of aqueous extract of Argemone mexicana L., Vetiveria zizanioides L. In order to contribute to the development of new methods to control L. coffeella, this work aimed at identifying native and exotic plants from that region able to produce substances active against such insect
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