First report of Helicoverpa armigera in Brazil
The presence of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae – EPPO A2 List) has recently been confirmed in Brazil by Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária). H.;armigera was identified from specimens collected in light traps between December 2012 and January 2013 using morphological and molecular analysis. Damage has been observed in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and soybean (Glycine max) crops in the state of Bahia (North-eastern Brazil). In Brazil, H. armigera is listed as an A1 quarantine pest, and as an emergency measure the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture has authorized the use of insecticides (chlorantraniliprole, chlorfenapyr, indoxacarb, emamectin benzoate) and of biocontrol agents (baculoviruses and Bacillus thuringiensis) to control H. armigera in infested fields. This is the first report of H. armigera in Brazil. The origin and date of this introduction is unknown (H. armigera may have been confused for some time with H. zea). Surveys are being conducted to determine the distribution of H. armigera in Brazil.
The situation of Helicoverpa armigera in Brazil can be described as follows: Present, first found in 2013 in the state of Bahia, under official control.
Sources
INTERNET
Ministério da Agricultura. Liberados agrotóxicos para combater lagarta Helicoverpa. http://www.agricultura.gov.br/vegetal/noticias/2013/04/liberados-agrotoxicos-para-combater-lagarta-helicoverpa
Sugayama R (2013) The cotton bollworm situation in Bahia, Brazil. Agropec News: A Newsletter on Plant Protection (via PestLens). http://zc1.campaign-view.com/ua/SharedView?od=11287eca3e75d0;cno=11a2b0b1e3530df;cd=15bda137606a35c;m=2