Epamig participates in seminar on biological control of the miner

Researcher Madelaine Venzon, coordinator of the State Research Program in Agroecology at the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), will participate, on August 24th, in the Bicho-Mineiro Biological Control Technology Seminar. The online event will be broadcast via the Zoom Platform and free registrations can be made via Sympla.

At the Seminar, which will be held by the Federation of Coffee Growers and the Cerrado Mineiro Development Foundation, together with Sebrae-MG and the Minas Gerais Association of Cotton Producers (Amipa), Madelaine will address the use of lacewings to combat agricultural pests. The researcher explains that these insects are key predators in conservative biological control with very favorable results in coffee and vegetable crops.

“I will show the results of research conducted at EPAMIG, where we have kept creations of these insects for research in the laboratory since 2004. They are voracious predators in the larval stage, and adults feed on pollen, nectar and honeydew. The larvae prey on small larvae and caterpillars, mealybugs, thrips, aphids, insect eggs and mites. They are used in several crops, especially in greenhouses, to control these pests”, explains the researcher who has been studying these insects since 1991.

In hot and dry regions such as the Cerrado Mineiro, the leaf miner is the main pest. “Biological control is the strategy that must be prioritized, whether through measures that conserve and increase the natural enemies of pests in plantations or by releasing natural enemies”, says Madelaine, who adds: “The populations of natural enemies for control of pests can be increased through the provision of resources, via vegetation diversification, which also has the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change on agroecosystems and can regenerate agricultural areas”.

The Seminar also includes the participation of the president of Amipa. Daniel Bruxel, who is also a coffee grower, and agronomists Jusé Lusimar Eugênio, from Amipa, and Junio ​​César, from Fazenda Rio Brilhante Café.

Biological control 

Biological control practices have become increasingly present in the production sector, since, in addition to adopting clean technology, without adverse effects on humans and the environment and without leaving residues, they are economically viable for producers, adding value to the final product, free of pesticides. “The emergence of pests resistant to conventional control methods has led producers to increasingly seek biological control”, adds Madelaine Venzon.

Alternative Pest and Disease Control will be the subject of a Workshop promoted by EPAMIG in partnership with the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), between the 26th and 28th of October. The online event will feature three thematic panels and seven free courses. Registration for activities is now open and must be done on the website www.controlealternativo.com.br.