Bamboo wood is a widely used raw material for the manufacture of special furniture and handicraft products, and can also be used in construction and architecture. In Brazil, the usage of this material has gained great space in the last decades. However, it can suffer from the attack of the bamboo borer [Dinoderus minutus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)], causing damages and making the use of this wood unviable. Hence, the purpose of this work was to verify the behavior of D. minutus in culms of three bamboo species (Bambusa vulgaris, B. vulgaris var. vittata e B. multiplex) in two seasons of the year, one dry and one rainy season, in addition to testing alternative methods of insect control. In relation to the behavior, we verified the damages caused by the larvae from the oviposition of D. minutus in nodes and internodes of the bamboo species. While the alternative control methods were based on the spraying of the bacterium Proteus mirabilis, as an entomopathogenic agent, on B. vulgaris nodes, and the immersion treatment of nodes of same bamboo species in aqueous extract of Dracaena arborea leaves, and in vinasse. In relation to the insect behavior, there was a higher activity (consumption and reproduction) during the rainy season and a higher attack preference for the species B. vulgaris. Regarding the alternative control methods, it was verified a better performance of the treatments with P. mirabilis and D. arborea, since they provided a mortality index superior to 90% of the insects.

Crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst) is an oilseed crop domesticated in the Mediterranean region and has become increasingly important worldwide. Crambe is now considered an alternative to bioenergy crops and oleochemicals, because of its acclimatisation capacity under inhospitable conditions. Despite the interest in the agronomical characteristics and applications of this crop, investigations on crambe are still scarce and have only focused on production, without taking into account the phenological stages of this species. Thus, a single criterion to quantify the species’ phenology can be a useful tool for both researchers and growers. In the present study, a proposed scale of the phenological growth stages of crambe under the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie) coding system was applied. Growth stages were described using the one- and two-digit decimal coding of the BBCH system and corresponded to, Stage 0: germination; Stage 1: leaf development; Stage 2: lateral sprout formation; Stage 5: inflorescence emergence; Stage 6: flowering; Stage 7: fruit formation; Stage 8: fruit maturation; Stage 9: senescence. Growth stages 3 and 4 (main stem elongation and development of collectable vegetative parts, respectively) were omitted. Figures were included to illustrate the most pertinent stages, and vegetal growth was represented by means of a technical botanical illustration. The BBCH system was efficacious in providing crambe Phenological data, allowing for better growing management practices amid varying climatic conditions, as well as contributing to the standardisation of research methods with this species.