Bio Control

Introduction

Founded in 1975 by Dr. Luis Amilton Foerster, the Laboratory of Integrated Control of Insects (LCII) has been conducting research aimed at the integration of chemical and biological methods for the control of insect pests in agroecosystems. Among the main crops we surveyed, soybean (Glycine max), corn (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and vegetables, among other crops.

The LCII aims to develop new techniques to meet the demands of sustainable agriculture in Brazil, through the use of methods less harmful to the environment and humans.

In the insecticides area, the LCII has meaningful participation in the identification of more efficient and selective products for the control of defoliators and sucking pests. Since 1990, however, greater emphasis has been given to the incidence, identification and applicability of parasitoids as a control tool, especially with egg parasitoids of Hemiptera and Lepidoptera.

In this line, the research team of LCII collected and identified seven species of egg parasitoids of the velvetbean caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis), five of which were cited for the first time in this host, and ten species of Diptera and Hymenoptera parasitizing the larval stage of this species in the state of Paraná. In wheat, eleven species of parasitoids of the armyworm (Pseudaletia sequax) were collected and the biology of three of these species was studied in laboratory. These data clearly demonstrate the diversity and importance of these species in the maintenance of populations of agricultural pests in sub-economic levels. So far, more than 40 Doctoral and Master degrees were produced by the LCII and 71 scientific papers were published in national and international periodicals (see publications).

The LCII also conducts training courses, consultancy, technical assistance and awareness seminars aimed at farmers, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, companies and other stakeholders. Since 2010 the LCII in partnership with the Study Group of Entomology, University of Mato Grosso, campus Tangará da Serra, are working together on the record of pest species of natural enemies, thus extending its research efforts to the largest production area of grains and fiber of Brazil.