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Susceptibility of non-target invertebrates to Brazilian microbial pest control agents

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Abstract

Microbial pest control agents or entomopathogens have been considered an interesting alternative to use instead of chemical insecticides. Knowledge of ecotoxicity data is very important to predict the hazard of any product released in the environment and subsidize the regulation of these products by governmental agencies. In the present study four new Brazilian strains of Bacillus and one fungus were tested to evaluate their acute toxicity to the microcrustacean Daphnia similis, the snail Biomphalaria glabrata and the dung beetle Digitonthophagus gazella. The microcrustaceans and the snails were exposed to entomopathogens in synthetic softwater and the beetles were exposed directly in cattle dung. Obtained data reveal low susceptibility of the non-target species to tested microorganisms, with lethal concentrations being observed only at much higher concentrations than that effective against target insects. These results show that the tested strains are selective in their action mode and seem to be non-hazardous to non-target species.

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Acknowledgment

Research supported by SEG/Embrapa and CNPq (Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, 73310-970, Brazil

    Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho, Daphne Heloisa Freitas Muniz, Ingrid Souza Freire & Roberto Teixeira Alves

  2. Centro Universitário de Brasília, UniCEUB, Brasília, DF, 70790-075, Brazil

    Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho & Ingrid Souza Freire

  3. Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, 70770-900, Brazil

    Felipe Rosa Ramos & Rose Gomes Monnerat

  4. Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Jaguariúna, SP, 13820-000, Brazil

    Claudio Martin Jonsson

  5. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil

    Cesar Koppe Grisolia

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  1. Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho
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  2. Daphne Heloisa Freitas Muniz
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  3. Ingrid Souza Freire
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  7. Cesar Koppe Grisolia
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  8. Rose Gomes Monnerat
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Correspondence to Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho.

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Oliveira-Filho, E.C., Muniz, D.H.F., Freire, I.S. et al. Susceptibility of non-target invertebrates to Brazilian microbial pest control agents. Ecotoxicology 20, 1354–1360 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0691-4

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