Occurrence of Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ipomoea batatas in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam (Convolvulaceae), is an essential crop for food security in developing countries. Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is one of the main pests of I. batatas in tropical and subtropical regions. It feeds on the tuberous roots of I. batatas and induces perforations tunnel-shaped with excrement. The objective of this study was to register, for the first time, the occurrence of E. postfasciatus in I. batatas in the municipality of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Individuals of E. postfasciatus were found in the larval, pupal and adult stages feeding on the roots, in the genotypes, Brasilândia Branca, Rubisol, UFVJM01, UFVJM02, UFVJM03, UFVJM04, UFVJM08, UFVJM18, UFVJM91, UFVJM291 and UFVJM526 in a greenhouse at the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM). Euscepes postfasciatus injuries formed superficial and deep galleries with the presence of excrement and unpleasant odor. The record of E. postfasciatus in I. batatas in the municipality of Diamantina is important to develop local strategies for integrated pest management of the crop in the region.

Keywords
weevil; food security; sweet potato

Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam (Convolvulaceae) is an essential crop for food security in developing countries (MOLLINARI et al., 2020; YANG et al., 2017). It is cultivated globally between 40° North and 40° South latitude, at altitudes that reach up to 2,700 m. This crop is important in the highlands of Minas Gerais, in the Serra do Espinhaço region (location of Diamantina), which comprises the only “globally important agricultural heritage systems” (GIAHS) in Brazil. A title granted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/UN) (FAO, 2020). Studies have been conducted in this GIAHS, especially to improve the agri-food systems.

Ipomoea batatas crops are affected by insect pests worldwide (JOHNSON; GURR, 2016). Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in larval and adult stages, is one of the main pests of I. batatas in tropical and subtropical regions (HUGHES et al., 2009). This insect originates from the Caribbean, is considered a cosmopolitan species, present in South and Central America, the West Indies/Antilles and areas of the North Atlantic, North and South Pacific and Japan (KATSUKI et al., 2012). In Japan, the presence of E. postfasciatus on the island of Okinawa has resulted in quarantine regulations that prohibit the transport of host plants from that island to the continental area, free of the insect (MENEZES, 2002; SATO et al., 2010). In Brazil, E. postfasciatus has been reported in the Northeast: states of Alagoas, Bahia, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Sergipe, in the Midwest: Distrito Federal and Goiás (Ipameri), and in the Southeast: Minas Gerais (Uberlândia), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Tapiraí and Jaboticabal) (BLANK et al., 2001; BOTTEGA et al., 2009; DUARTE et al., 2019; FRANÇA; RITSHEL, 2002; GBIF, 2021; MENEZES, 2002; WANDERLEY et al., 2004).

The objective of this work was to register, for the first time, the occurrence of E. postfasciatus in I. batatas in the municipality of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This record extends the geographic distribution of this species to the northeast region of the state of Minas Gerais.

Individuals of E. postfasciatus were found in the larval, pupal and adult stages (Fig. 1a, b and c) feeding on the tuberous roots of I. batatas in the germplasm bank of the Universidade Federal dos vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), in Diamantina. Four E. postfasciatus adult individuals were deposited in the reference entomological collection of the UFVJM. The genotypes attacked were Brasilândia Branca, Rubisol, UFVJM01, UFVJM02, UFVJM03, UFVJM04, UFVJM08, UFVJM18, UFVJM91, UFVJM291 and UFVJM526, cultivated in the soil of a greenhouse, between coordinates: 18°15’ South and 43°36’ West, at 1,394 m. The period of occurrence of the pest was from January to April 2020.

Figure 1
Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); (a) Larvae; (b) Pupa; (c) Adult; (d) Damage caused by Euscepes postfasciatus in Ipomoea batatas L. (Solanaceae).

Euscepes postfasciatus induces perforations tunnel-shaped with excrement when feeding on the tuberous root of I. batatas, the main commercial product of this plant (Fig. 1d). The attack causes a characteristic and unpleasant odor due to the production of sesquiterpenes by the plant in response to pest (SATO et al., 1978). The presence of E. postfasciatus can also facilitate the proliferation of damage caused by fungi and bacteria that make the product unfeasible for the market (SHERMAN; TAMASHIRO, 1954). Thus, small infestations can make the tuberous roots unsuitable for consumption.

The record of E. postfasciatus feeding on I. batatas in the municipality of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is important to develop local strategies for integrated pest management for the crop in the region. The selection of resistant genotypes to attack, prospecting for natural enemies and rotation with crops not susceptible to E. postfasciatus are control options. There are no registered insecticide products for E. postfasciatus in Brazil.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Not applicable.

• Peer Review History: Double-blind Peer Review

• AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIAL

  All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

• FUNDING

  Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
  https://doi.org/10.13039/501100002322
  Finance code 001
  Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
  https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003593
  Finance Code 309799/2018-0vFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais
  https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004901
  Finance Code 5.310/15

• ETHICAL APPROVAL

  Not applicable.

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Edited by

Associate Editor: Silvia Galleti

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  17 Dec 2021
• Date of issue
  2021

History

• Received
  28 Apr 2020
• Accepted
  15 Nov 2021