Toxicity of organic supplies for the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi

Abstract

Toxicity (dosage per hectare) of: 1) Baculovirus anticarsia 140x109 cpi; 2) Bacillus thuringiensis 16.8g; 3) Azadirachtin-A, azadirachtin-B, nimbina and salamina 9.6 ppm; 4) Rotenoids 4 liters; 5) Nitrogen 1.3%, phosphorus 3.0% and total organic carbon 8.0% 3 liters; 6) Sodium silicate 2% 4 liters; 7) Copper 7% + calcium 3.3% 1.8 liters; 8) Sulfur 20% + quicklime 10% 1.8 liters; 9) Chlorpyrifos 384g; 10) Distilled H2O (control) were evaluated for pupae and adults of Telenomus podisi. Treatments from 1 to 8 were in general harmless (class 1) to both pupae and adults of T. podisi. Among them, only treatment 5 and 7 presented slightly toxic to the parasitoid with a reduction in parasitism 5 days after F1 parasitoid emergence. Differently, the chlorpyrifos was classified as slightly harmful (class 2) or moderately harmful (class 3). Therefore, the use of the tested organic agricultural supplies in the production of organic soybean is viable, without impairing the natural biological control allowed by this egg parasitoid. Chlorpyrifos use, on the other hand, is not allowed in organic soybean, but even on convention crop production, could whenever possible, be replaced by other products more compatible with T. podisi preservation.