ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to select forage grasses with potential resistance to Mahanarva fimbriolata by assessing effects on insect. No-choice assays were conducted with 12 genotypes and laboratory-reared insects. The following parameters were assessed: mortality and duration of the nymphal stage; adult weight and longevity; pre-oviposition period; number of eggs/female; viability and duration of the embryonic period. As main result it was verified that the mortality of nymphs reared on Panicum maximum cv. Paredão is almost complete and that this forage grass may be characterized as resistant to this insect by antibiosis. Further, the grasses can be divided into three groups following a cluster analysis: P. maximum cv. Aries, Setaria sphacelata cv. Kazungula, Brachiaria humidicola, A. gayanus and P. maximum cv. Aruana, which are insect-resistant grasses; Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. dictyoneura, B. brizantha cv. MG-4 and B. ruziziensis, which are moderately resistant grasses; and B. brizantha MG-5 and B. brizantha ecotype BB185, which are susceptible grasses.

Estudou-se a biologia de Mahanarva fimbriolata nas gramíneas Setaria anceps cv. 'Kazungula', Brachiaria brizantha cv. 'Marandu', ecótipos BB 33, BB 39, seleções IAC-BBS 5 e IAC-BBS 8, e cana-de-açúcar. 'SP-80-1842' (testemunha) em laboratório, visando a avaliar a resistência desses genótipos a essa praga. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: mortalidade e duração da fase de ninfa, razão sexual, período de pré-oviposição, número de ovos por fêmea, longevidade, duração e viabilidade da fase embrionária. Constatou-se maior mortalidade e prolongamento na fase de ninfa em IAC-BBS 8, B. brizantha cv. 'Marandu' e S. anceps cv. 'Kazungula'. Os menores valores de longevidade e fecundidade foram verificados em IAC-BBS 8 e IAC-BBS 5 e os maiores em cana-de-açúcar. A menor viabilidade da fase embrionária foi obtida em IAC-BBS 5 e a maior em IAC-BBS 8. Segundo os resultados da tabela de vida, a taxa líquida de reprodução (Ro) e a taxa finita de crescimento (λ) foram menores em IAC-BBS 8. Concluiu-se que IAC-BBS 8 é o genótipo mais resistente a M. fimbriolata, sendo a resistência do tipo antibiose e/ou não-preferência para alimentação.

Under controlled conditions, six forage grasses (Setaria anceps cv. 'Kazungula' and Brachiaria brizantha cv. 'Marandu'; and codified genotypes BB33, BB39; BBS 5 and BBS8), along with a control check (sugarcane cv. 'SP80-1842') were evaluated as to Mahanarva fimbriolata resistance. The following parameters have been evaluated: nymphal phase duration and mortality, sex ratio, pre-oviposition period, number of eggs per female, longevity, viability and embryonic period. The highest mortalities and longer nymphal periods occurred on BBS 8, cv. 'Marandu' and cv. 'Kazungula'. BBS5 also caused high nymph mortality, however with the shortest nymphal period. The lowest longevity and fecundity values were detected for BBS5 and BBS8, whereas the sugarcane control check revealed the highest one. As to embryonic phase viability, BBS 8 originated the highest values and BBS 5, the lowest ones. Among the tested plants, BBS 8 along with the cv. 'Marandu', proved to be the most resistant genetic material, both through antibiosis and/or nonpreference for feeding mechanism.

O estudo com substâncias derivadas de plantas com potencial no controle de pragas justifica-se pela necessidade de se identificar compostos menos agressivos ao meio ambiente. Extratos do cajuzinho-do-cerrado, Anacardium humile têm mostrado potencial como inseticida sobre alguns insetos. A cigarrinha-das-raízes, Mahanarva fimbriolata é considerada praga importante na cultura da cana-de-açúcar, ocasionando danos severos e sensível redução na produção. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do extrato aquoso de Anacardium humile, nas concentrações 0,05; 0,4 e 1,0%, sobre M. fimbriolata, em cana-de-açúcar. A ação do extrato aquoso resultou em mortalidade ninfal de 53,1% na concentração 1,0%, valor significativamente superior aquele verificado na testemunha negativa. O período ninfal e longevidade de M. fimbriolata, no entanto, não foram afetados pelo extrato aquoso.

The study of plant-derived substances for the control of insect pests is desirable in the attempt to discover less toxic insecticides that are safe for the environment. Indeed, extracts from the cashew of the savannah, Anacardium humile, have shown insecticidal activities against certain insects. The sugarcane root spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata is considered an important pest of sugarcane, causing severe damage and significant yield reductions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the aqueous extract of A. humile (0.05, 0.4 and 1.0%) on M. fimbriolata. The application of the aqueous extract of Anacardium humile resulted in 53.1% nymphal mortality at a concentration of 1.0%, which was significantly higher than that observed in the negative control. The nymphal period and longevity of M. fimbriolata, however, were not affected by the aqueous A. humile extract.

Changes in the agroecosystem with the increase of green cane harvesting in Brazil affected the insect populations associated to this crop, and secondary pests like the spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata Stål, became much more important. Many studies have demonstrated the active role played by silicon in plant defense against herbivory. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of silicon applications on the biology of the spittlebug reared on two resistant (SP79-1011 and SP80-1816) and one susceptible (SP81-3250) sugarcane cultivars. Sugarcane plants were grown under greenhouse conditions and submitted to different treatments: with and without silicon fertilizer in two different soil type (sandy and clay soil). The newly hatched nymphs were transferred to sugarcane roots and placed into boxes with lids, to keep a moistened and dark environment favoring their growth and maintenance of the root system, providing food access to the developing nymphs. After emergence, adult males and females were placed in cages for mating and oviposition. The silicon absorbed and accumulated in the plant caused an increase in nymphal mortality, and depending on the sugarcane cultivar tested this element also provided an increase in the duration of the nymphal stage and a decrease in the longevity of males and females. 'SP79-1011' presented the highest silicon content in leaves, and M. fimbriolata had the highest nymph mortality and the shortest female longevity. The pre-oviposition period, fecundity and egg viability were not affected by the silicon content in plants or the cultivar used.

Atualmente, a cigarrinha-das-raízes, Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), é a principal praga da cana-de-açúcar colhida mecanicamente, sem a queima da palha. As ninfas causam a "desordem fisiológica" em decorrência das picadas que atingem os elementos traqueais da raiz e os deterioram, dificultando ou impedindo o fluxo de água e de nutrientes, caracterizado pela desidratação do floema e do xilema. Ao contrário das ninfas, os adultos alimentam-se nas folhas e ocasionam a "queima da cana-de-açúcar", conseqüência das toxinas, injetadas ao se alimentar, reduzindo sensivelmente a capacidade de fotossíntese da planta. As ninfas de M. fimbriolata, para sugarem a seiva nas raízes, inserem seus estiletes pela epiderme, atravessam todo o córtex e atingem o cilindro vascular, realizando a alimentação nos elementos do tubo crivado do floema primário. Na lâmina foliar, os adultos de M. fimbriolata introduzem seus estiletes preferencialmente pelos estômatos, atravessam as células do parênquima clorofiliano e atingem o metaxilema nos feixes vasculares.

The sugarcane spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) is a pest of mechanically-harvested sugarcane in Brazil, when trash burning is not performed. To better understand the differences in feeding behavior of adults and nymphs of this pest and the subsequent disorders that arise, stylet penetration through fixation, staining and sectioning was investigated. Nymphs cause a "physiological disorder" damaging the tracheary system of the roots, slowing or preventing water and nutrient flow, with phloem and xylem dehydration. Nymphs insert their stylets through the epidermis, crossing the cortex, endodermis and pericycle before reaching the vascular cylinder, where they feed in the sieve-tube elements of the primary phloem. In contrast, adults feed on leaves, causing "sugarcane burn", and reducing plant photosynthesis. Adults introduce the stylets into the leaf blade through the stomata, passing the chlorophyll-bearing parenchyma cells before reaching the metaxylem in the vascular bundles.