Floral biology and insect attractiveness in watermelon plants treated with pyraclostrobin and its effect on mitochondrial bioenergetics of honeybees

• Grant number: 16/21818-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Ecology of Domestic Animals and Ethology
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Nicodemo
• Grantee: William Cesar Bellini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Dracena. Dracena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The control of pathogenic fungi is a determinant factor for obtaining great yield of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). However, some fungicides used for this purpose may alter the floral biology of melittophilous plants, implying in possible changes on visit flower behavior and even damage to the health of bees that visits the flowers of these treated plants. The aim of this project is to verify whether the treatment of watermelon plants with fungicide pyraclostrobin can change the floral biology and reduce insect attractiveness of this culture and assess whether this fungicide can reduce mitochondrial activity of honeybees. In November 2016, a watermelon crop, cultivar Crimson Sweet, will be installed in Dracena, São Paulo State, in an area of 2,400 m², divided into four equal parts, two treated with pyraclostrobin fungicide (100 g ha-1 active ingredient at 400 L ha-1 spray) and two untreated (control). There will be evaluated the production of flowers per plant, anthesis period, the production and the viability of the pollen grains and the receptivity of the stigmas. The frequency of insect visitors per flower and the time spent in staminate flowers will be observed. It will determine the number of colony forming units in pollen samples and the influence of fungicide on mitochondrial bioenergetics "in vitro" in honeybees. A randomized design blocks will be adopted, considering block each area of 600 m². For statistical analysis, quantitative data will be submitted to analysis of variance and for multiple comparisons, the Tukey test will be used at the level of significance of 5%. The non-parametric data will be analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NICODEMO, DANIEL; MINGATTO, FABIO ERMINIO; DE JONG, DAVID; VEIGA BIZERRA, PAULO FRANCISCO; TAVARES, MARCO AURELIO; BELLINI, WILLIAM CESAR; VICENTE, EDUARDO FESTOZO; DE CARVALHO, AMANDA. Mitochondrial Respiratory Inhibition Promoted by Pyraclostrobin in Fungi is Also Observed in Honey Bees. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 39, n. 6, p. 1267-1272, MAY 2020. (16/00446-7, 16/21818-0)