INSETOS-PRAGA EM HIDROPONIA: ERROS E ACERTOS ENVOLVENDO PROJETOS E TÉCNICAS DE MANEJO AO NÍVEL BRASIL

Abstract

The increase in acquisition and production costs have guided hydroponic producers to adapt their projects and pest management throughout the Brazilian territory. However, inmany of these cases, structures, components and practices considered essential for the management of lettuce plant protection have been neglected. The objectives of the presentstudy were (1) to address the main insect pests present in hydroponic environments in Brazil, (2) to point out which forms of management of these pests are most common and (3) to point out failures and successes regarding the use (or no) of elements necessary forprotected cultivation in terms of design and evaluate their practices regarding the management of insect pests. Remote interviews, focused on the objectives, and photo sharing were carried out with hydroponic producers participating in a WhatsApp social communication group. 40 interviewees distributed across 15 federative units and contained in all five Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Center-West, Southeast and South) were the size of our experimental sample. Thrips were the most abundant insect pest (57%), followed by leafminer (19%), fungus gnats (14%), green aphid (7%) and caterpillars with 3% of occurrences. Chemical control with insecticides was most frequent with 100% of reports of use, followed by biological control (5%) and mechanical control(2%). 17 most common problems in hydroponic systems in terms of project design and management were highlighted. While 11 good practice procedures in pest management were described and proven through photos. We introduce them all and discuss their importance. The need to reduce production costs, and the lack of technical knowledge about pest management, were discussed as probable reasons for the lack of standardization of hydroponic projects observed at Brazil level. And this has significantlyimpacted the incidence of pests in this type of cultivation.