CONTROL OF MAHOGANY SHOOT BORER, Hypsipyla grandella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), WITH Bacillus thuringiensis IN A SYSTEMIC WAY

CONTROLE DA BROCA-DO-MOGNO, Hypsipyla grandella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), COM O USO SISTEMICO DE Bacillus thuringiensis Hypsipyla grandella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), conhecida popularmente como broca-do-mogno, e a principal praga de Swietenia macrophylla (Meliaceae), limitando o plantio comercial da especie no Brasil. O uso da bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) para o controle de insetos pode se tornar promissor para ser incorporado em programas de manejo integrado de pragas de varias pragas agricolas e florestais. Nao ha, atualmente, estudos com o uso de Bt para controlar H. grandella de forma sistemica. Assim, esse estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o uso sistemico de Bt em mudas de mogno para o controle do inseto. Os resultados demonstraram que as plantas tratadas com a estirpe S1905 mostraram um ataque desacelerado quando comparado com o controle, com poucos danos e sintomas. Esse trabalho e pioneiro no uso sistemico de Bt em mudas de especies florestais e esse metodo pode ser uma alternativa viavel e promissora ao uso de inseticidas quimicos.Palavras-chave: endofitico, toxinas cry, praga florestal, entomologia florestal, controle biologico. ABSTRACT: Hypsipyla grandella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), popularly known as the mahogany borer, is the main pest of Swietenia macrophylla (Meliaceae), limiting the commercial planting of the species throughout Brazil. The use of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterium for the control of insect pests is becoming a promising tool to be incorporated into integrated pest management programs for various agricultural and forest pests. To date, no in-depth studies on the use of Bt for control of H. grandella have been conducted. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the systemic use of Bt in mahogany seedlings for insect control. The results demonstrated that plants treated with the S1905 strain showed a decelerated attack compared with the control, with little apparent damage or symptoms. This work is an early effort in the systemic use of Bt in seedlings of tree species and the method seems to offer a promising and viable alternative to the use of chemical insecticides.Keywords: endophytic, cry toxins, forest pest, forest entomology, biological control.