-The objective of this work was to evaluate the natural attack by Acromyrmex crassispinus in initial Pinus taeda plantations without control measures against ants, as well as the effect of defoliation in seedlings of P. taeda. Evaluations of the attack of leaf-cutting ants on P. taeda plantations were done monthly in the first six months, then 9 and 12 months after planting. The percentages of plants that were naturally attacked by ants were registered. The effect of defoliation was evaluated by artificial defoliation, simulating the natural patterns of attack by A. crassispinus on P. taeda seedlings. The natural attack of A. crassispinus was greater during the first months after planting, being more intense in the first 30 days. Artificial defoliation indicated that there were no significant losses in diameter and height in plants with less than 75% defoliation. However, there were significant losses in diameter and height in plants with 100% defoliation, independently of the cut of the apical meristem, and also plant death. The control of leaf-cutting ants in P. taeda plantings, in which A. crassispinus is the most frequent leaf-cutting ant, should be intense only at the beginning of planting, since the most severe attacks occur during this time.Index terms: Acromyrmex crassispinus, Pinus taeda, artificial defoliation, forest pest. Ataque de formigas cortadeiras em plantios iniciais de pinus e crescimento de plantas desfolhadasResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o ataque natural de Acromyrmex crassispinus em plantios iniciais de Pinus taeda sem controle contra formigas, bem como o efeito da desfolha em mudas de P. taeda. As avaliações do ataque de formigas cortadeiras em plantios de P. taeda foram realizadas mensalmente nos primeiros seis meses, depois aos 9 e 12 meses após o plantio. As percentagens de plantas naturalmente atacadas por formigas foram registradas. O efeito da desfolha foi avaliado por meio do desfolhamento artificial, ao se simularem os ciclos naturais de ataque de A. crassispinus em mudas de P. taeda. O ataque natural de A. crassispinus foi maior nos primeiros meses após o plantio, tendo sido mais intenso durante os primeiros 30 dias. A desfolha artificial indicou que não houve perdas significativas no diâmetro e na altura de plantas com menos de 75% de desfolha. No entanto, observaram-se perdas significativas no diâmetro e na altura de plantas 100% desfolhadas, independentemente do corte da gema apical, e também a morte de plantas. O controle de formigas cortadeiras em plantios de P. taeda, em que A. crassispinus é a formiga cortadeira mais frequente, deve ser intenso somente no início do plantio, pois os ataques mais severos ocorrem neste período.Termos para indexação: Acromyrmex crassispinus, Pinus taeda, desfolha artificial, praga florestal.

Plants express inducible direct and indirect defenses in response to herbivory. The plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and related signaling compounds referred to as jasmonates play a central role in regulating defense responses to a wide range of herbivores.We assessed whether treating tomato seeds with 0.8 mM of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) affected the performance of the leaf miner Tuta absoluta, and whether possible changes in volatile profiles altered the behavior of its predator Chrysoperla externa. MeJA-treatment significantly lengthened larval development and decreased the pupal weight of T. absoluta. Herbivory alone increased the emissions of α-pinene, 6-methyl 5-hepten-2-one, β-myrcene, (E)-β-ocimene, isoterpinolene, TMTT, (Z)-3-hexenyl butyrate, and hexyl salicylate. MeJA seed treatment significantly decreased the emissions of α-cubebene from undamaged and herbivore-infested plants. In addition, the emissions of several compounds were lower in the absence of herbivory. Chrysoperla. externa preferred odors from herbivore-infested plants over those from control plants, regardless of the MeJA-treatment, and they did not show any preference for herbivore-infested plants for any of the MeJA-treatments. Our results show preliminary evidence that the treatment of tomato seeds with MeJA can reduce the performance of Tuta absoluta, and that the chemical differences observed in plant VOC profiles do not alter the behavior of the model predator.

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Resumo -A desfolha artificial permite mensurar a intensidade do dano devido à desfolha causada por insetos. No presente estudo, buscou-se avaliar os danos causados por formigas cortadeiras em plantios de Pinus taeda e Eucalyptus grandis com 30 dias de idade. Foi estabelecida uma classificação baseada em níveis de desfolha semelhantes aos causados por formigas cortadeiras. Para P. taeda, os níveis foram: N1: 50%, N2: 75%, N3: 100% e N4: 100% de desfolha, incluindo o corte do meristema apical. Para E. grandis, os níveis foram N1: 50%, N2: 75% e N3: 100% de desfolha, incluindo o corte do meristema apical. Após um ano, as mudas de P. taeda tiveram perdas em altura e diâmetro nos níveis de N2 a N4. Mudas de P. taeda desfolhadas no nível N4 apresentaram perdas de 37,0% em altura e 45,4% em diâmetro. As mudas de E. grandis apresentaram perdas aos três meses de idade, sendo estas proporcionais à intensidade de desfolha. Após um ano, verificaram-se perdas de 13,3% em altura e 20% em diâmetro, nas plantas de P. taeda que tiveram 100% de desfolha. Plantas de P. taeda foram mais prejudicadas pela simulação do ataque de formigas cortadeiras do que as de E. grandis.Termos para indexação: Níveis de dano, plantios florestais, pragas florestais. Damage caused by different levels of artificial defoliation, simulating the leaf-cutting ants attack on young plantations of Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus grandisAbstract -The artificial defoliation allows to measure the defoliation intensity caused by insects. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the damages caused by leaf-cutting ants in young plantations of Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus grandis using different levels of artificial defoliation. A classification was established according to defoliation levels that were caused by leaf-cutting ants in P. taeda: level 1: 50%, level 2: 75%, level 3: 100% and level 4: 100%, including the cut of the apical meristem. And in E. grandis: level 1: 50% of defoliation; level 2: 75% and level 3: 100%. After one year, the P. taeda seedlings had losses in diameter and height for defoliation level above 75%. Seedlings severely defoliated (level 4), had losses of 37.0% in height and 45.4% in diameter. The E. grandis seedlings had losses since three months old and the reductions were proportional to the defoliation intensity. After one year, the losses of 13.3% in height and 20% in diameter were verified in plants with 100% of defoliation. P. taeda plants are more damaged by leaf-cutting attack.

Upon herbivory, plants activate complex biochemical pathways that result in an array of defense responses including the emission of a novel blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds mediate the recruitment of predators and parasitoids that exert biological control of the attacking herbivore. Genetic manipulation of a particular trait to improve agricultural plant varieties may affect other traits as a result of possible pleiotropy or insertional mutations, which in turn can affect the interaction of the plant with other organisms. Changes in herbivore-induced VOC emissions are known to occur in transgenic plants engineered to express resistance to insects (mainly Bt-plants), not only as a result of modified insect behavior but also as a result of altered resource allocation. Transgenic glyphosate-resistant plants express a variant of the enzyme EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) that is insensitive to the herbicide glyphosate. This enzyme is essential in metabolic routes that result in the synthesis of amino acids and secondary metabolites. We addressed whether the constitutive and Anticarsia gemmatalis-induced emissions of VOCs from a transgenic soybean line differ from those of the isoline, and whether changes may interfere in the foraging behavior of the predatory bug Podisus nigrispinus. Analyses showed that both herbivory and genotype influenced VOC emissions. In addition, the genotype affected the herbivore-induced VOC emission. Larger emissions were measured in the transgenic line than the non-transgenic line upon herbivory. The bioassays showed that P. nigrispinus significantly discriminated only between the odors of undamaged and damaged plants of the non-transgenic line. No preference was observed for herbivore-damaged plants of any of the two lines over the other. The results from this study suggest that despite a greater emission of volatiles the predators are less able to discriminate between herbivore-damaged and undamaged transgenic plants. This condition does not necessarily increase the preference of the predator for damaged non-transgenic plants over transgenic plants. This study opens possibilities for new studies of chemical ecology in tritrophic systems to assess the effect of transgenic glyphosate-resistant plants.