Banca de DEFESA: EVELYN SALES DA SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : EVELYN SALES DA SILVA
DATE: 24/02/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Auditório PRPG
TITLE:

FROM CONFORT TO STRESS: HOW THERMAL VARIATIONS AFFECT THE SURVIVAL OF THE PARASITOID Tetrastichus howardi (OLLIFF) (HYMENOPTERA: EULOPHIDAE)

KEY WORDS:

Pre-imaginal conditioning, Diatraea, sugarcane stem borer, augmentative biological control, integrated pest management.

PAGES: 82
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Agronomia
SUBÁREA: Fitossanidade
SPECIALTY: Entomologia Agrícola
SUMMARY:

Sugarcane is one of the main agricultural crops in Brazil, particularly in the Northeast region, where it plays a major socioeconomic role. One of the main production constraints is losses caused by the stem borer complex, especially Diatraea impersonatella (Walker) and Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), which reduce agro-industrial yield and facilitate the occurrence of phytopathogens. Due to the cryptic behavior of these pests, biological control represents the main management method, with emphasis on the use of egg and larval parasitoids. In this context, the pupal parasitoid Tetrastichus howardi (Olliff) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) emerges as a promising complementary control, acting on the pupal stage of lepidopteran pests. This study evaluated the effect of temperature, the main abiotic factor, on the biological performance of T. howardi. Given the expectation of increasingly frequent thermal stress events, the potential of thermal stress as a physiological preconditioning strategy for the parasitoid was investigated. Controlled thermal stress was applied at different developmental stages of T. howardi, aiming to increase survival without impairing parasitism capacity under semi-field conditions. The results demonstrated that controlled thermal stress can act as a physiological preconditioning strategy in T. howardi, enhancing survival while maintaining parasitism performance under semi-field conditions, as long as the critical thermal limits and the ontogenetic stage of the parasitoid are respected.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - JORGE BRAZ TORRES
Externo à Instituição - JÉSSICA KARINA DA SILVA PACHÚ - UEPB
Externo à Instituição - FABRICIO FAGUNDES PEREIRA - UFGD