ABSTRACT
Variety resistance is the most economical method of insect control, but genetic material should be competitive in yield to achieve commercial success. This work reports the field performance of four cultivars belonging to the upright growing habit type evaluated under incidence of Enneothrips flavens. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area of the Departamento de Fitossanidade, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, in Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. The experimental design was a complete ramdomized block with four treatments (cultivars IAC Tatu ST, IAC 5, IAC 8112 and IAC 22) and six replications. Each plot consisted of five rows five meters long, with 0.6 m. spacing between rows. Evaluations were made discarding the two border rows as well as the 0.5 m. ends of each row. Two rows were used for evaluating thrips infestations, number of apical shoots and plant dry matter, and one row was left for yield evaluation. All cultivars behaved as susceptible under high infestation of E. flavens. The highest numbers of thrips occurred between 15 and 41 days after plant emergence. Cultivars IAC Tatu ST and IAC 22 showed the highest yields.
KEY WORDS
Insecta; thrips; Arachis hypogaea L.; host plant resistance