An integrated control model (chemical and biological) with optimization techniques for pests in corn crop: Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Chaetocnema Pullicaria (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

• Grant number: 21/06204-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal researcher: Magda da Silva Peixoto
• Grantee: Patrícia do Nascimento dos Santos
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para a Sustentabilidade (CCTS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research project aims to propose a mathematical model for optimal pest control in agriculture via integration of chemical (application of insecticides) and biological (predation and/or parasitism) control strategies with optimization techniques via Linear Programming Fuzzy. Its main objective is to initially apply this model to the control of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a consolidated pest in Brazilian territory, and then adapt it to the control of the corn beetle Chaetocnema Pullicari (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), vector of the bacterium Pantoea stewartii subsp stewartii (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae), absent in the country, but with a high risk of introduction. Agribusiness plays an important role in the Brazilian economy, exerting a relevant influence on the Gross Domestic Product. Currently, the country is one of the great exporters of agricultural products, focusing on corn, one of its main crops, leading the world export in 2019, surpassing previously exported quantities. According to projections for the next decade, the expectation is that the demand for agricultural production will grow driven by population and income growth, consequently increasing the need for risk management that minimizes costs and maximizes productivity. One of the major problems is associated with the incidence of pests in the plantations, considering that the costs related to control are high, especially the chemical ones. Therefore, the adhesion of new techniques is indispensable and the Integrated Pest Management proves to be efficient, as, in addition to generating less environmental impact, it combines different strategies, such as biological control. (AU)