Potential of cottonseed oil in the control of the citrus blackfly Aleurocanthus woglumi (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) and the Texas citrus mite Eutetranychus banksi (Acari: Tetranychidae) in the citrus region of Sergipe and Bahia

Abstract

The main citrus hub of the Northeast comprises municipalities in the south of Sergipe and the northern coast of Bahia. In this hub, pest attacks such as the citrus blackfly (Aleurocanthus woglumi) and the Texas citrus mite (Eutetranychus banksi) contribute to the low productivity of orchards. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the toxicity of cottonseed oil on A. woglumi and E. banksi in the field. In this study, the lethal concentrations (LC) of fixed cottonseed oil on 4th instar blackfly nymphs were first determined under laboratory conditions. Subsequently, the efficiency of LC75 of fixed cottonseed oil in controlling the blackfly was evaluated from October 2023 to April 2024 in an experimental orange orchard located at the Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros experimental field in Umbaúba, Sergipe. Although the LC estimates were conducted for the blackfly, its efficiency in controlling the Texas citrus mite was also evaluated since it occurs concomitantly with the blackfly in the experimental orchard. Mineral oil was used as a positive control for comparison purposes of the efficiency of fixed cottonseed oil in controlling the blackfly and the Texas citrus mite. The results of this study demonstrated that fixed cottonseed oil was toxic to the blackfly under laboratory conditions. Additionally, this oil was as effective as mineral oil in reducing the densities of the blackfly and the Texas citrus mite under field conditions, proving to be an alternative for managing these pests in orange orchards in the citrus hub of Sergipe and Bahia.