Coleoborers (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in native and homogeneous systems of Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa bonpl.) in the Southern Amazon, Brazil.

Abstract

Brazil nut is one of the most important species of the Amazon due to its socioeconomic importance. Especially in homogeneous production systems, it may be susceptible to damage by wood-boring insects, as by the subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); thus, inadequate management conditions can cause economic damage. Therefore, the objective of the present work is to evaluate the occurrence of wood-boring insects (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in native and homogeneous systems of Brazil nut in the Meridional Amazonian, Brazil. The study was conducted in three environments: Conserved Native Planting nut, Anthropized Native Planting nut and Homogeneous Planting nut. Twelve ethanol traps were installed in each environment during four sampling periods. The data were submitted to entomofaunistic analysis, Pearsons correlation analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 2,243 individuals from 31 species were sampled, of which 23 were from the Anthropized Native Planting nut, 24 from the Homogeneous Planting nut and 26 from the Conserved Native Planting nut. In the faunistic analysis, we highlight the species Xyleborus affinis (Eichhoff, 1868), which was the most representative one in the three environments and a super-dominant species in all four sampling periods. There was a greater similarity between the Anthropized Native Planting nut and the Conserved Native Planting nut; these two environments showed dissimilarity with the Homogeneous Planting nut. Monitoring coleoborers in Brazil nut agroecosystems is fundamental for the establishment of integrated pest management strategies.