OCCURRENCE OF Plesiommata corniculata Young, 1977 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) IN A CITRUS ORCHARD IN ALTAMIRA, PARÁ, BRAZIL

Abstract

Citrus has shown strong progress and contribution in the Brazilian economy, with high competitiveness with other producers around the world, however several diseases that affect the orchards have led to low productivity and a drop in product quality. Several species of sharpshooters are considered vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, causal agent of Citrus Variegated Chlorosis disease, which has devastating effects in areas where adequate management of the disease is not carried out, so the objective of this work was to identify the occurrence and Plesiommata corniculata population fluctuation in an orchard area in the county of Altamira, Pará. The collections were carried out at Sítio Vista Alegre with two collections per month, from august 2007 to december 2008. The collected insects were stored in alcohol 70%, these triads and counted. The indices analyzed were abundance, constancy and dominance. The species had its abundance peak in July / 08 with (N = 373) 85.35% of the total, also presenting months without any collected individual. Such distribution may be related to rainfall and temperature conditions occurring in the period, this may influence the capacity of establishment of the disease. The months with the highest peak of abundance coincide with those most favorable to the infection by the bacteria, due to the age of the orchard, some plants may be a source of contamination for the rest of the orchard, requiring adequate management of the disease, with a choice of healthy seedlings, infected individuals, appropriate cultural practices and control of sharpshooters.KEYWORDS: Cicadellinae, CVC, Orange.