The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil

Pinto, Fábio A.; Mattos, Marcos V. V.; Silva, Farley W. S.; Rocha, Silma L.; Elliot, Simon L.

doi:10.3390/insects8030087

Open AccessFeature PaperCommunication

The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil

by

Fábio A. Pinto

^*,

Marcos V. V. Mattos

,

Farley W. S. Silva

,

Silma L. Rocha

and

Simon L. Elliot

Department of Entomology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Campus Universitário s/n,Viçosa, MG 36570-900, Brazil

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Insects 2017, 8(3), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030087

Submission received: 17 July 2017 / Revised: 8 August 2017 / Accepted: 10 August 2017 / Published: 4 September 2017

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Monitoring and Trapping in Agricultural Systems)

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Abstract

Helicoverpa armigera, one of the world’s most destructive crop pests, was first documented in Brazil in 2013. Within a few months, this polyphagous insect had spread over the Northeast and Central-West of Brazil, causing great agricultural losses. With several reports of populations resistant to pesticides and Bt crops around the world, there is great concern about the spread of this pest in Brazil. There is confusion about the actual distribution of this species due to the high morphological similarity with the native corn earworm Helicoverpa zea, which may also coexist with H. armigera in the field. Our aims here were (i) to confirm its presence in the State of Minas Gerais, one of the most important agricultural regions in the country; and (ii) to assess the co-occurrence of this pest with the congeneric corn earworm H. zea. Using molecular screening, we confirmed the presence of H. armigera in Bt-crops of soybean and cotton, and non-Bt-crops of soybean, cotton and maize. Mixed infestations of H. armigera with H. zea were found in non-Bt maize (Viçosa, Southeastern Minas Gerais). These results highlight the need for adequate control strategies for H. armigera in Brazil, to deal with its polyphagous feeding habits, high dispersal capacity and possible risks of hybridization with congeneric species.

Keywords: Noctuidae; pest; PCR-RFLP; mitochondrial; DNA

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pinto, F.A.; Mattos, M.V.V.; Silva, F.W.S.; Rocha, S.L.; Elliot, S.L. The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil. Insects 2017, 8, 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030087

AMA Style

Pinto FA, Mattos MVV, Silva FWS, Rocha SL, Elliot SL. The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil. Insects. 2017; 8(3):87. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030087

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pinto, Fábio A., Marcos V. V. Mattos, Farley W. S. Silva, Silma L. Rocha, and Simon L. Elliot. 2017. "The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil" Insects 8, no. 3: 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030087

APA Style

Pinto, F. A., Mattos, M. V. V., Silva, F. W. S., Rocha, S. L., & Elliot, S. L. (2017). The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil. Insects, 8(3), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030087

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The Spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil

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