Technological advances have demonstrated the need for intellectual property rights, and patent granting is one of its most widespread forms. This includes the protection of inoculant formulations for agriculture, in which Brazil is a leader. This study aimed to analyze the number of patents for formulations of biological inoculants for agriculture in Brazil and the microorganisms used. An advanced search was performed in the National Institute of Industrial Property database, using the title and abstract fields. The indexers included inoculant, bioinoculant, endophyte, endophytic, fungus, bacteria, Rhizobium, Azospirillum and Gluconacetobacter. The inoculant formulation patents were grouped by the number of files per decade, number of patents per holder(s), characterization of granted patents, international patent classification, and main genera of fungi and bacteria used in inoculant formulations per decade. The number of patents filed for inoculant formulations in the last four decades increased from 7 in the first decade (1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to 37 from 2011-2020. In the first decades of study, the use of Rhizobium in inoculants stood out, followed by other genera of fungi and bacteria. However, most inoculant patent applications are still denied, considering data from 1981 to 2020. This may be partially due to the low reproducibility of inoculant results, as microorganism activity is highly affected by climate, soil, plant cultivars and crop management. The percentage of acceptance equal to or higher than 50 % in the number of applied patents for using endophytic microorganisms may be because this group of microorganisms acts mainly inside plants and is thus more protected from the influence of climate and some soil and management factors. The growing number of patent applications in the last 40 years demonstrates the business and technological development interest in inoculants in Brazil.

An important concern with the use of genetically modified (GM) plants expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal toxins is the deleterious effect on non-target organisms.The predatory stink bug Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is used in biological control programs and may be exposed to Bt toxins. This study evaluated the indirect effects of different Cry proteins on P. nigrispinus with the prey Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), fed on simple or pyramided Bt maize genotypes. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with three treatments: i) Isohybrid (not Bt), ii) Herculex ® (transgenic maize encoding Cry1F protein) and iii) PowerCore ® (pyramidal transgenic maize encoding the Cry1F, Cry1A.105, and Cry2Ab2 proteins), which were used to feed S. frugiperda for 48 h. The caterpillars were used as prey by P. nigrispinus females. We evaluated the presence of Cry proteins, consumed prey biomass (predation), oviposition period, number of postures, number of eggs, number of eggs per posture, number of nymphs, egg viability, embryonic period, female longevity and development, and survival rates of immature.The results show that different Cry proteins move through the food chain of P. nigrispinus and provide evidence that the ingestion of three different proteins does not lead to unexpected synergistic effects. However, Cry toxins promoted histopathological changes in midgut cells of P. nigrispinus.

The microlepidoptera, Bedellia somnulentella (Zeller), is an important pest of sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. Damage by B. somnulentella occurs in the larval stage and when consuming the foliar mesophyll of I. batatas make the leaves brown, wrinkled, and reducing the photosynthetic area and the yield. The detection and management of this pest depends on knowing its biological cycle and identifying its natural enemies. The objectives of this study were to determine the life history of B. somnulentella feeding on I. batatas leaves and to survey parasitoids of this pest in the field. The duration and viability of B. somnulentella egg, larva, prepupa, pupa, and adult stages were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Cephalic capsule width was measured to determine the number of B. somnulentella instars, based on the Dyar rule and analyzed by the Akaike statistical model (AIC). The developmental period of B. somnulentella was 32.5 ± 0. 21 d with a viability of 75, 84, 100, and 84% for the egg, larva, prepupa, and pupa stages, respectively. The identification of this pest on the plants is possible from the third instar and in the pupal and adult stages. The parasitoid Conura sp. (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) was identified parasitizing pupae of B. somnulentella and could be considered a potential natural enemy for the integrated management of this pest.

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