ABSTRACT
The market for biological control of insect pests in the world and in Brazil has grown in recent years due to the unwanted ecological and human health impacts of chemical insecticides. Therefore, research on biological control agents for pest management has also increased. For instance, insect viruses have been used to protect crops and forests around the world for decades. Among insect viruses, the baculoviruses are the most studied and used viral biocontrol agent. More than 700 species of insects have been found to be naturally infected by baculoviruses, with 90% isolated from lepidopteran insects. In this review, some basic aspects of baculovirus infection in vivo and in vitro infection, gene content, viral replication will be discussed. Furthermore, we provide examples of the use of insect viruses for biological pest control and recently characterized baculoviruses in Brazil.
Subject(s)
Baculoviridae/classification , Biological Control Agents , Insecta/virology , Animals , Baculoviridae/pathogenicity , Brazil , Pest Control, BiologicalABSTRACT
The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam ) is a vegetable native to tropical America, now a prominent crop in all parts of the world. The main purpose of cultivating this plant is to produce roots for human and domestic animal consumption and ethanol production. The preferred part of I. batatas is the roots, so that the shoot is generally discarded or used as animal feed. The aim of this study was to determine the total phenolic content, the chromatographic profile and the antioxidant potential of the leaves of 10 cultivars of I. batatas developed by conventional breeding for the industrial production of ethanol. Ethanol extracts of the leaves of mature plants were assayed for phenolic contents by The Folin-Ciocalteu method, which ranged between 54.72 ± 4.35 and 112.29 ± 3.65 mg TAE/g, for flavonoids by complexation with aluminum chloride (29.15 ± 372 to 97.36 ± 2.13 mg RE/g), for in vitro antioxidant activity by the DPPH FRAP methods and for chelating activity. Additionally, the phenolic compounds were investigated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealing a complex matrix of compounds comprising various flavonoids and ellagic acid. A high antioxidant potential was found, which was satisfactorily correlated by Pearson correlation with total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The results showed a great potential for adding value to the crop of I. batatas, by combining the current agro-energy practice based on its roots with the exploitation of other organic commodities present in its leaves...
A batata-doce (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) é um vegetal nativo da América Tropical, com destaque no cenário da agricultura mundial. A principal finalidade do cultivo desta planta concentra-se na obtenção de raízes para alimentação humana, de animais domésticos e produção de etanol. A preferência de consumo de I. batatas concentra-se nas raízes, consequentemente a parte aérea, na maioria das vezes, é descartada ou fornecida como alimento para animais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o conteúdo fenólico total, o perfil cromatográfico e o potencial antioxidante das folhas de 10 cultivares de I. batatas provenientes de melhoramento genético convencional direcionado para a produção industrial de etanol. Extratos etanólicos das folhas de plantas adultas foram avaliados quanto ao conteúdo fenólico pelo método Folin-Ciocalteu, que variou entre 54,72 ± 4,35 e 112,29 ± 3,65 mg EAT/g, flavonoides por complexação com cloreto de alumínio (29,15 ± 3,72 a 97,36 ± 2,13 mg ER/g), atividade antioxidante in vitro pelos métodos DPPH, FRAP e atividade quelante. Adicionalmente, foram investigados os componentes fenólicos por cromatografia em camada delgada (CCD) e cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE), que revelaram matrizes complexas de compostos, constituídas por ácido elágico e vários flavonoides. Constatou-se um elevado potencial antioxidante correlacionado satisfatoriamente pelo coeficiente de Pearson com teor de fenóis e flavonoides totais. Os resultados demonstraram grande potencial de agregação de valor ao cultivo de I. batatas, pela integração das práticas agroenergéticas que utilizam suas raízes, com a obtenção de outros produtos de base orgânica presentes nas folhas desta planta...
