The Helicoverpa armigera caterpillar is causing great damage in many crops in Brazil. It has already been detected in cotton, soybean, tomato, beans, wheat, and in some weeds.
The Citrus Defence Fund (Fundecitrus) reported that, although no official statement had been made, the caterpillar had also been seen in citrus plants in Goiás, Brazil, state where the plague was officially identified in other plantations.
The entity explained that once it was a moth, the Helicoverpa armigera could fly up to a thousand kilometres in three days. It also has a great capacity for reproduction and survival, as well as the potential of developing resistance to insecticides and easily adapting to different environments, climates and farming systems.
According to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the Helicoverpa armigera was first detected in Brazil in 2012 and, so far, has caused losses close to 2,000 million reais ($ 858 million dollars).
During the 2011/2012 season the pest caused losses of up to 80% of the cotton production in Bahia. Since then, pest attacks have been confirmed in plantations at Mar Maranhão, Piauí, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Minas Gerais and Paraná.
Meanwhile, according to the Coordinator of Agricultural Defence (CDA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil (MAPA), there are no official reports of the presence of the Helicoverpa armigera in São Paulo, where producers have reported the attack of different species of caterpillars in their gardens.
The plague attacked the buds and fruits in all of the plants developmental stages in the cases recorded in the citrus groves in Goiás, causing production losses.
Fundecitrus and the Luiz de Queiroz Agricultural College (Esalq/USP) will conduct a survey related to the Helicoverpa armigera in São Paulo's citrus orchards.
Producers have been asked to be careful, to monitor their orchards and, in case of any suspicion, to immediately notify the situation to the CDA or the MAPA.
Source: Fundecitrus