Efeitos da adubação na interação Brachiaria ruziziensis (Germain & Evrard) e Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909)

Abstract

Pastures represent a resource for Brazilian cattle ranching, with the spittlebug as their main pest because of the damaged caused in the hot and rainy season that cattle should be broken to recover from drought pasture during the months above. To reduce the use of chemical insecticides is necessary to develop alternative control methods. In this scenario receives prominent cultural control and fertilization is balanced practice that improves the nutritional status of soil, resulting in the development of forage supplementation and possible induction of resistance in plants. Therefore, in order to verify the promotion of antibiosis and tolerance, was evaluated the effects of different doses of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) in Brachiaria ruziziensis (Germain & Evrard) exposed to Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant, 1909) on condition of green house. For the realization of three experiments were used eggs, nymphs and adult of spittlebug and three different doses of NPK. Eggs were deposited in the soil in pots containing brachiaria and, after 32 days, were assessed on nymphs. In another stage nymphs were placed at the base of plants of brachiaria and after 10 days evaluated the damage to plants by the nymphs and growth, tiller number, sprouting and chemical quality of forage. In the third experiment cercopidae adults were placed in cages containing Brachiaria. After five days, was evaluated the damage caused by insects to plants and dry matter production, regrowth and chemical quality of forage. It was found that fertilization did not cause antibiosis, however, the application of half dose of NPK was sufficient to decrease by more than 20% damage by insects to forage, to ensure regrowth in more than 70% when there was a low infestation of nymphs and the presence of adults, higher dry matter production, increase the number of tillers and increase cellulose plants, indicating that there was the promotion of tolerance. Thus, it is concluded that fertilization is an effective alternative to reduce the damage caused by spittlebugs.