Avaliação da preferência de substrato de oviposição de Orius insidiosus (HEMIPTERA: ANTHOCORIDAE)

Abstract

Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) is widely used in biological pest management due to its efficiency as a predator. The development and survival success of this species can be influenced by the characteristics of the oviposition substrates. This study evaluated the oviposition preference, fertility and longevity of O. insidiosus on three substrates: balsam (Sedum dendroideum), sprouted bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions, with an average temperature of 24.7±0.7°C, RH of 43.0±0.2% and 12:12 hours of natural photoperiod. The experimental design was completely randomized with 25 pairs of O. insidiosus per treatment, with daily substrate changes. The variables analyzed included: pre-oviposition and oviposition periods, average daily and total fertility; female, male and total longevity; survival curve of females and males; average number of eggs per female and viability. Observations were carried out until the death of the insects. For the data that met the assumptions of ANOVA, the Tukey test was performed at 5% significance. For the data that did not meet the assumptions of ANOVA, the Kruskall-Wallis’s test (nonparametric) was performed at 5% significance. The results showed that balsam was the most favorable substrate, presenting greater average daily fertility (4.64 eggs per female) and total fertility (101 eggs per female), female longevity (28.16 days), male longevity (20.84 days) and total longevity (24.5 days), greater survival for both sexes, in addition to being the most viable for embryonic development. The germinated beans had an intermediate performance, with an average daily fertility of 2.99 eggs, total fertility of 28.7 eggs per female, female (8.64 days), male (3.80 days) and total longevity of 6.22 days. The sunflower had an average daily fertility of 3.66 eggs, total fertility of 63.3 eggs per female, female (10.83 days), male (4.92 days) and total longevity of 7.75 days. Despite the laying, the sunflower was unviable for embryonic development due to rapid dehydration, which compromised the viability of the eggs. The results indicate that balsam is the most suitable substrate for the rearing of O. insidiosus, suggesting its potential to optimize mass production for Biological Pest Control programs.