Field trials were conducted from 1982 to 1990 to test the efficiency of Baculovirus anticarsia for the control of the soybean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis. The treatments used were: 1) B. anticarsia at 50LE/ha (larval equivalents/ha); 2) insecticide, applied according to integrated soybean pest management recommendations and 3) untreated check. In the seasons 1983/84, 84/85 and 85/86 daily counts in the laboratory were performed to determine the mortality due to B. anticarsia due to the insecticide and due to other causes, as well as the number of caterpillars transformed into pupae. The following parameters were evaluated under field conditions: the number of large alive caterpillars, the percent defoliation and the growth stages of the plants and the grain productivity was also recorded. The results obtained allowed the conclusion that B. anticarsia is as efficient as the insecticide, avoiding significant losses of around 315kg/ha (83/84), 490kg/ha (84/85), 1665kg/ha (88/89) and 1654kg/ha (89/90) in relation to the check plots. Its use is, therefore, an important alternative for the control of A. gemmatalis larvae with economical, social and ecological advantages over the insecticides nowadays under use.
Anticarsia gemmatalis; Baculovirus anticarsia; soybean
