Processing tomato: biodiversity and ecological infra-structures

Fernanda Amaro¹, Catarina Gonçalves¹, Sónia Duarte², Cristina Amaro da Costa³, Sílvia Albano, Eva Salvado¹, António Mexia²

RESUMO

Neste trabalho são apresentadas considerações teóricas respeitantes às funções ecológicas da biodiversidade e das infra-estruturas ecológicas e ao seu papel como potenciadores da acção dos inimigos naturais, nos ecossistemas agrários.

É abordado o caso particular do ecossistema “tomate para indústria”, no Ribatejo. Nesta cultura, a praga-chave é a lagarta do tomate, que é acompanhada por um complexo de inimigos naturais, essencialmente, parasitóides. Este complexo de parasitóides foi monitorizado entre 2002 e 2004, no âmbito do projecto AGRO 189 – “Protecção integrada em tomate para indústria”, tendo-se verificado que é uma comunidade presente nos campos todos os anos e que pode exercer grande influência sobre as populações de lagarta do tomate.

São referidas algumas observações realizadas no decorrer do trabalho de campo e relacionadas com a disponibilidade de infraestruturas ecológicas nos campos estudados, nomeadamente aspectos da dinâmica populacional das pragas e dos inimigos naturais e de biodiversidade do complexo de parasitóides.

Palavras-chave: tomate para indústria, biodiversidade, infra-estrutura ecológica, lagarta do tomate, parasitóide.

ABSTRACT

In this study, we address the theory behind the ecological functions provided by biodiversity and ecological infra-structures, as well as their role in enhancing the performance of natural enemies, in agrarian ecosystems.

This study focuses on the processing tomato agrarian ecosystem. In this crop, the key pest is the tomato fruitworm, which is followed by a complex of natural enemies, essentially parasitoids. This parasitoid complex has been monitored from 2002 to 2004 under the scope of the project AGRO 189 – “Integrated pest management in processing tomato”; it has been observed that this community is present in the field every year and may strongly influence the populations of the tomato fruitworm.

Some field observations that arose during field studies are addressed and interpreted bearing in mind the availability of ecological infra-structures present in the fields surveyed, namely aspects related to population dynamics of both the key pest and its natural enemies, and to the biodiversity of the parasitoid complex.

Assuming that natural enemies and pests benefit differentially from ecological infrastructures, the possibility of habitat manipulation of agrarian ecosystems in order to favour antagonists is discussed.

Key-words: processing tomato, biodiversity, ecological infrastructure, tomato fruitworm, parasitoid.

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¹ Estação Agronómica Nacional/INIAP, Quinta do Marquês, Av. da República, Nova Oeiras, 2784-505 Oeiras, e-mail: fernanda.s.amaro@gmail.com

² SAPI/DPPF – Instituto Superior de Agronomia/UTL,Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, e-mail: smpduarte@gmail.com

³ ESAV/IPV, Estrada de Nelas, Quinta da Alagoa, 3500 Viseu, e-mail: dir.ean@iniap.min-agricultura.pt