ABSTRACT
Oliviculture is a recent activity in Rio Grande do Sul with little information on associated insects. The population dynamics of Saissetia oleae (Oliver) and its parasitism was evaluated in olive orchard, Olea europaea L., cultivar Arbequina, kept under traditional management, situated in Caçapava do Sul (30°30'43? S, 53°29'27? W), RS, Brazil. Samples were monthly collected from April 2012 to March 2013. At each occasion 20 trees were randomly selected and, from each quadrant of their canopies (northern, southern, eastern and western) two branches (20 - 30 cm - length and containingat least 20 leaves) were removed randomly, one inside and one outside the tree. The greater abundance of S. oleae was in the spring and summer and the temperature was the factor that interfered in this dynamic. Saissetia oleae was distributed in a uniform way between quadrant and between the internal and external branches. In the leaves were observed with greater abundance S. oleae of first and second nympal stages, while in the branches third instar nymphs, adults and adults with eggs. The parasitism rate was 3.40%.
Index terms
black scale; population dynamics; Olea europaea