The kale, Brassica oleracea var. acephala , stands out among vegetables for being frequently by pests, in particular the leafworm kale, Ascia monuste orseis (Godart, 1819) (Lepidoptera : Pieridae ). The control of this insect has been carried out using insecticides. In organic agriculture, the use of these products is prohibited and there are already some examples where farmers are replacing their use for other alternative forms, less harmful to the environment, such as homeopathic solutions, which are substances identified as a tool to Agroecology. The objective of this study was to determine whether homeopathic solutions provide antibiosis mechanism, such as food deterrence in Ascia monuste orseis in 'manteiga cv. Santo Antonio' kale and whether they could be used to control pests. The solutions tested were as follows: Sulphur 12CH; Phosphorus 5CH ; Magnesia carbonica 30 CH; Ruta 5CH. The control was distilled water + grain alcohol 70% 5CH. For the preparation of each solution, 0.2 ml was taken from each homeopathic preparation, added to 200 ml of distilled water, sprayed onto the leaves and soil in the pots. The traits analyzed were as follows: weight of caterpillars at the beginning and end of the 4th instar; dry weight of pupa (incorporated biomass); length of the caterpillar at the 4th instar; length of egg to adult cycle, percentage of adult emergence; wing length; fecundity of the females and nutritive value of the treated kales. Sulphur 12CH can be recommended as an effective alternative method to control A. monuste orseis. All homeopathic solutions, except Phosphorus 5CH , promoted feeding deterrence, antibiosis mechanism, interfering with the biological cycle of A. monuste orseis.
alternative control; Brassica oleracea; homeopathy; lepidopteran; Phosphorus; Sulphur
