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The total area of forest crops in Brazil is 9.55 million hectares, of which 7.5 million hectares are Eucalyptus. These crops are the most productive in the world, but may suffer losses due to exotic pests, including Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) found in Brazil since 2003. Interactions between Eucalyptus plants and insect pests may led to the selection of resistant genotypes. Eucalyptus species are either susceptible or resistant to this pest group, but the damage they suffer needs to be evaluated. The objective was to determine possible leaf anatomy indicators of different Eucalyptus species associated with G. brimblecombei infestations, focusing on plant resistance to this pest. The study was carried out with Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus saligna and Eucalyptus urophylla saplings infested or not by G. brimblecombei eggs and nymphs. Eighteen anatomical characteristics of the leaves of these plants were analyzed. The number of stomata on the adaxial and abaxial sides and the glandular area in the central leaf vein are associated with greater or lesser infestation by G. brimblecombei in the Eucalyptus genotypes.

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In Santa Catarina State, Brazil, rice is predominantly cultivated in irrigated systems, and irrigation water is generally collected directly from watercourses. Irrigated rice crops, which are sensitive to water salinity, form the basis of the economy of the Mampituba River Basin region, southern Brazil. This study aimed to assess salinity fluctuations in waters collected from the Mampituba River for irrigation of rice crops during the four seasons of the year. For salinity determination, water samples were collected from six sites along the river course, from the source to the mouth. Three subsamples were collected at each site, with a mean interval of 15 days between collections, beginning in May 2016 and ending in April 2017. Samples were evaluated for electrical conductivity (EC). Assessment of salinity damage was performed in seedlings of rice cultivars 'IRGA 417' and 'EPAGRI 106'. When seedlings reachedthe S2 stage, they were transplanted into flooded soil at different saline concentrations. EC values ranged from 224 to 20,120 µS cm−1over the experimental period, being higher at sites closer to the sea. The highest salinity values were recorded betweenNovember 2016 and January2017. It was possible to observe an inverse relationship between rainfall and water salinity. Salinity causes damage to rice plants, particularly seedlings. Symptoms include leaf tip chlorosis, leaf curling, and necrosis of old leaves. It is important forrice farmers to understand salt wedge fluctuations within their estuary as well as variations in salinity levels at different sites and times of the year.(AU)

No estado de Santa Catarina predomina na sua totalidade o cultivo de arroz irrigado e a água utilizada para a irrigação destas lavouras em sua maioria são retiradas diretamente de cursos de água. A região da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Mampituba tem sua economia baseada no cultivo do arroz irrigado, cujas plantas são sensíveis à salinidade. O presente trabalho objetivou determinar a flutuação de salinidade na água do Rio Mampituba (Sul do Brasil) utilizada para irrigação na lavoura arrozeira durante as quatro estações do ano. Para a determinação da salinidade foram realizadas coletas de água em seis locais no percurso do rio, desde sua nascente até a foz. Em cada local foram coletadas três subamostras de água com intervalo médio de 15 dias iniciado em maio de 2016 e finalizado em abril de 2017 e analisada a condutividade elétrica (CE). A caracterização do dano por salinidade em plântulas de arroz foi realizada nas cultivares IRGA 417 e EPAGRI 106. As plântulas foram transplantadas para solo inundado com diferentes concentrações salinas no estádio S2. A CE ao longo do período avaliado variou de 224 a 20.120 µS cm−1e foi maior nos pontos mais próximos ao mar. Os maiores valores de salinidade foram observados entre os meses de novembro de 2016 e janeirode 2017. Foi possível observar relação inversa entre a precipitação e a salinidade. A salinidade causa danos as plantas de arroz sendo os principais danos observados em plântulas. Estes danos foram clorose da ponta do limbo foliar, enrolamento foliar e necrose de folhas velhas. É importante que os orizicultores saibam como é a flutuação da cunha salina dentro do estuário, além de quais níveis incidem em cada local e em cada época do ano.(AU)

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Plant-insect interactions are a determining factor for sustainable crop production. Although plants can resist or tolerate herbivorous insects to varying degrees, even with the use of pesticides, insects can reduce plant net productivity by as much as 20%, so sustainable strategies for pest control with less dependence on chemicals are needed. Selecting plants with optimal resistance and photosynthetic traits can help minimize damage and maintain productivity. Here, 27 landrace accessions of lima beans, Phaseolus lunatus L., from the Yucatan Peninsula were evaluated in the field for morphological resistance traits, photosynthetic characteristics, insect damage and seed yield. Variation was found in physical leaf traits (number, area, and dry mass of leaves; trichome density, specific leaf thickness and hardness) and in physiological traits (photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular carbon, water-use efficiency, and transpiration). Five accessions (JMC1325, JMC1288, JMC1339, JMC1208 and JMC1264) had the lowest index for cumulative damage with the highest seed yield, although RDA analysis uncovered two accessions (JMC1339, JMC1288) with strong positive association of seed yield and the cumulative damage index with leaf production, specific leaf area (SLA) and total leaf area. Leaf traits, including SLA and total leaf area are important drivers for optimizing seed yield. This study identified 12 important morphological and physiological leaf traits for selecting landrace accessions of P. lunatus for high yields (regardless of damage level) to achieve sustainable, environmentally safe crop production.

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In tropical dry forests (TDFs), stem-succulent deciduous species produce leaves during the dry season which coincides with the period of lower herbivore abundance. In this study, we evaluated the effects of abiotic factors (precipitation and day length) on the vegetative phenology of three stem-succulent deciduous species (Cochlospermum vitifolium, Commiphora leptophloeos, and Manihot anomala) during 2 years. In addition, we compared leaf damage by herbivores and leaf defensive traits (specific leaf area, thickness, and content of phenolic compounds) on leaf cohorts produced before and during the rainy season by these stem-succulent deciduous species. We also evaluated herbivory and defensive traits on leaves produced during the rainy season by 14 non-succulent deciduous species. There was a positive effect of precipitation and day length on the amount of green leaves exhibited by the three stem-succulent species. The leaf cohort produced during the dry season by stem-succulent species showed lower leaf damage and content of phenolic compounds than the cohort produced during the rainy season by the same species and by non-succulent deciduous species. Leaf damage was only affected (positively) by the content of phenolic compounds, suggesting the production of induced defenses during leaf expansion. In general, herbivory levels were low in this study (0.57-6.37%) when compared with other TDFs, suggesting that a scape from herbivores due to anticipated leaf production is a weak selective force affecting plant fitness. These variations in leaf traits are mostly related to contrasting water conservation strategies among phenological groups. Further studies should evaluate other defensive and nutritional traits, as well as their variations along the leaf lifespan, to unravel herbivory patterns in TDFs.

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Megapolis such as Mexico City, have atmospheric pollutants that interact with the humidity and solar radiation. The topography of this city promotes air stagnation, generating atmospheric pollutants and episodes of acid rain, a phenomenon well recorded since the end of the 1980s. However, little we know about how urban trees respond to acid rain in the city. Here we present how simulated acid rain causes anatomical and changes in photosynthetic pigments in two of the most abundant urban trees in Mexico City: Liquidambar styraciflua L. and Fraxinus uhdei (Wenz.) Lingelsh. We first described the leaf anatomy of both species. Then, we used one-year-old trees sprayed with sulfuric acid solutions at pH 2.5 and 3.8, and evaluated visible leaf damage, anatomical alterations, and chlorophyll contents. In both species, the pH 2.5 caused cuticle alterations and areas of total tissue destruction. L. styraciflua showed greater sensitivity, but we discuss some of the tolerance mechanisms. Finally, acid rain also reduced the chlorophyll contents. These results contribute toward a catalogue of urban tree species to describe pollution-induced damages, and the identification of tolerant species useful for short- and mid-term detection of environmental crisis, in cities with similar environmental conditions and urban tree composition.

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Os percevejos fitófagos pertencentes à família Pentatomidae podem causar danos irreparáveis na cultura do milho, com perdas significativas na produtividade. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os danos foliares em milho ocasionados pelo percevejo Dichelops melacanthus em diferentes estádios fenológicos. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no Campus do Centro Universitário Integrado em Campo Mourão, em casa de vegetação. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 2X3 considerando a presença e ausência de percevejos nas plantas e o estádio de liberação (V2, V4 e V6). Os percevejos foram mantidos no conjunto vaso-planta por quatorze dias. As avaliações ocorreram no dia da liberação nos tratamentos e aos sete e quatorze dias depois de retirada. Foram avaliados os danos foliares utilizando-se de escala de notas (0 a 5), diâmetro do colmo no nível de solo e altura de plantas. Os resultados demonstraram que aos 14 dias a liberação de percevejos em V4 resultou em menor incremento na altura de plantas. D. melacanthus ocasionou danos mais intensos nos estádios V2 e V4 em relação a V6 em plantas de milho, devido a maior suscetibilidade da planta em sofrer danos em estádios iniciais de desenvolvimento.

Phytophagous bugs belonging to the Pentatomidae family can cause irreparable damage to maize crop, with significant yield losses. The present work objective to evaluate the leaf damage to maize caused by the stink bug Dichelops melacanthus at different phenological stadia. The work was developed at Campus of Centro Universitário Integrado in Campo Mourão in a greenhouse. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2X3 factorial scheme considering the presence and absence of stinkbugs and the release stage (V2, V4 and V6). The bed bugs were kept in the vase-plant set for fourteen days. Evaluations occurred on the day of treatment release and at seven and fourteen days after withdrawal. Leaf damage was evaluated using grade scale (0 to 5), stem diameter at soil level and plant height. The results showed that the stinkbug D. melacanthus caused more intense leaf damage at V2 and V4 stages than V6 in maize plants. The bed bug attack resulted in smaller increase in plant height at the V4 phenological stage.

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Os percevejos fitófagos pertencentes à família Pentatomidae podem causar danos irreparáveis na cultura do milho, com perdas significativas na produtividade. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os danos foliares em milho ocasionados pelo percevejo Dichelops melacanthus em diferentes estádios fenológicos. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no Campus do Centro Universitário Integrado em Campo Mourão, em casa de vegetação. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 2X3 considerando a presença e ausência de percevejos nas plantas e o estádio de liberação (V2, V4 e V6). Os percevejos foram mantidos no conjunto vaso-planta por quatorze dias. As avaliações ocorreram no dia da liberação nos tratamentos e aos sete e quatorze dias depois de retirada. Foram avaliados os danos foliares utilizando-se de escala de notas (0 a 5), diâmetro do colmo no nível de solo e altura de plantas. Os resultados demonstraram que aos 14 dias a liberação de percevejos em V4 resultou em menor incremento na altura de plantas. D. melacanthus ocasionou danos mais intensos nos estádios V2 e V4 em relação a V6 em plantas de milho, devido a maior suscetibilidade da planta em sofrer danos em estádios iniciais de desenvolvimento.(AU)

Phytophagous bugs belonging to the Pentatomidae family can cause irreparable damage to maize crop, with significant yield losses. The present work objective to evaluate the leaf damage to maize caused by the stink bug Dichelops melacanthus at different phenological stadia. The work was developed at Campus of Centro Universitário Integrado in Campo Mourão in a greenhouse. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2X3 factorial scheme considering the presence and absence of stinkbugs and the release stage (V2, V4 and V6). The bed bugs were kept in the vase-plant set for fourteen days. Evaluations occurred on the day of treatment release and at seven and fourteen days after withdrawal. Leaf damage was evaluated using grade scale (0 to 5), stem diameter at soil level and plant height. The results showed that the stinkbug D. melacanthus caused more intense leaf damage at V2 and V4 stages than V6 in maize plants. The bed bug attack resulted in smaller increase in plant height at the V4 phenological stage.(AU)

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Lepidoptera, stink bugs, and weevils are important pests in soybean. For lepidopteran control, insecticides and seed treatments are used. As an alternative, Bt soybean was developed to control primary pests of Lepidoptera such as Rachiplusia nu (Guenée) (Noctuidae), Chrysodeixisincludens (Walker) (Noctuidae), Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Erebidae), Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (Dyar) (Noctuidae), and Crocidosema aporema (Walsingham) (Tortricidae). However, the use of transgenic plants, and the resulting reduction of insecticide against target pests, may allow other pest species to become more prevalent in agricultural environments. Soybean expressing Cry1Ac against different lepidopteran nontarget and target insect pests was evaluated, and its performance was compared with non-Bt soybean with seed treatment. The treatments were Bt soybean, non-Bt soybean with seed treatment (Fortenza® diamide insecticide, Syngenta, Buenos Aires, Argentina), and non-Bt soybean without seed treatment. Larvae of H. gelotopoeon, Spodoptera albula (Walker) (Noctuidae), Spodoptera cosmiodes (Walker) (Noctuidae), Spodoptera eridania (Stoll) (Noctuidae), and Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lep.: Noctuidae) were used. The plants of each treatment were infested with larvae of each species, and the percentage of leaf damage produced by each species was recorded. The results showed that Bt soybean provided control of H. gelotopoeon and had a suppressive effect on S. frugiperda and S. albula. However, S. eridania and S. cosmiodes were not susceptible to the Cry1Ac protein in MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean when evaluated by greenhouse infestation. Considering the performance of each species using non-Bt soybean without seed treatment, S. eridania would represent a potential risk in soybean crops.

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Forest loss threatens biodiversity, but its potential effects on multitrophic ecological interactions are poorly understood. Insect herbivory depends on complex bottom-up (e.g., resource availability and plant antiherbivore defenses) and top-down forces (e.g., abundance of predators and herbivorous), but its determinants in human-altered tropical landscapes are largely unknown. Using structural equation models, we assessed the direct and indirect effects of forest loss on insect herbivory in 40 landscapes (115 ha each) from two regions with contrasting land-use change trajectories in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. We considered landscape forest cover as an exogenous predictor and (1) forest structure, (2) abundance of predators (birds and arthropods), and (3) abundance of herbivorous arthropods as endogenous predictors of insect leaf damage. From 12 predicted pathways, 11 were significant and showed that (1) leaf damage increases with forest loss (direct effect); (2) leaf damage increases with forest loss through the simplification of vegetation structure and its associated dominance of herbivorous insects (indirect effect); and further demonstrate (3) a lack of top-down control of herbivores by predators (birds and arthropods). We conclude that forest loss favors insect herbivory by undermining the bottom-up control (presumably reduced plant antiherbivore defense mechanisms) in forests dominated by fast-growing pioneer plant species, and by improving the conditions required for herbivores proliferation.

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Defesas induzidas em plantas são respostas morfológicas ou fisiológicas ativadas pela herbivoria que conferem algum grau de resistência a ataques subseqüentes. Este estudo descreve modificações em Hymenaea courbaril L. em resposta ao dano foliar artificial. Plantas jovens (n = 72) de seis plantas-mãe foram distribuídas entre dois grupos: dano artificial e controle. No primeiro par de folhas produzidas pelas plantas de cada grupo, após o tratamento, foram avaliados o número de estômatos, as espessuras do limbo e da nervura central foliares e as concentrações de nitrogênio e proteína. Foram também obtidas as biomassas relativas de raízes e da parte aérea e investigado se havia relação entre o grau de desenvolvimento da planta e a intensidade das respostas induzidas pelo dano. Plantas jovens submetidas ao dano apresentaram folhas com limbos mais espessos, o que pode ser considerado uma defesa induzida porque provavelmente reduz a palatabilidade foliar. Esta modificação induzida esteve associada a um custo energético, refletido na redução da taxa de crescimento da planta e na diminuição das dimensões da nervura foliar central. Variações na habilidade de cada planta responder ao tratamento efetuado indicam diferentes potenciais para a plasticidade fenotípica entre os genótipos estudados.

Induced plant defenses are morphological or physiological responses activated through herbivory that confer some degree of resistance to subsequent attacks. This study describes modifications in young plants of Hymenaea courbaril L. in response to artificial leaf damage. Young plants (n = 72) from six mother-plants were distributed among two groups: control and artificial damage. In the first pair of leaves produced by the plants in each group after the treatment, we assessed the number of stomata, the leaf lamina and the leaf midrib thickness and the concentrations of nitrogen and protein. We also evaluated the relative biomass of the young plants roots and shoots and investigated whether there was any relationship between the young plant degree of development and the intensity of the induced responses. The plants subjected to damage showed a thicker leaf lamina, that may be considered an induced response due to the leaf palatability probably reduction. This induced modification was associated with an energetic cost, indicated by the reduction of the young plants growth rate and by the decreased of the leaf midrib dimensions. Variability among young plants on the ability to respond to the treatment indicates different phenotypic plasticity potential among the studied genotypes.

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