Efficacy of tank mixture of biological and chemical against Diatraea saccharalis: a methodological approach

• Grant number: 23/12632-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk
• Grantee: Alessandra da Silva Andrade
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV)
• Associated research grant: 17/25258-1 - Engineering Research Center - Plant Health in Sugarcane, AP.PCPE

Abstract

For a spray tank mixture to be effective in controlling a target species, in the present study Diatraea saccharalis, depends on the compatibility of its components. Due to the methodological difficulty in the laboratory of getting the premises of a field application, there is still no standard in vitro methodology that can predict the efficiency of a mixture in the field. Therefore, this proposal aims to evaluate the compatibility of biological and chemical products for D. saccharalis, with methodological approaches: (1) the classical one, which corresponds to the inoculation of the biological control agent in a medium containing the chemical insecticide and evaluation of growth parameters of the microorganism to (2) new approach, which is closer to reality in the field, as it uses agitation and application time approximate to what occurs in a real situation in order to directly evaluate the efficiency of the mixture. These tests, complemented with mortality trials, will show which methodology is closer to predict the efficiency of a mixture in the field against this species. Due to the wide adoption of tank mixes by agricultural producers with the main objective of reducing production costs, this research has the potential for scientific and social impact.