Leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta are an important insect pest in forest plantations in many countries of South America. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential for using Landsat-8 images, with medium spatial resolution and distributed free of charge, to detect leaf-cutting ant nests in Tectona grandis plantations in Brazil, using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The regression model adjusted by PLS-DA selected three principal components with a cross-validation error of 0.275 to map and predict the presence of leaf-cutting ant nests in these plantations. The most important bands and vegetation indices were selected using the main variables in the projection (VIP) and predicted pixels with the presence or absence of leaf-cutting ant nests with an accuracy of 72.3% on an independent validation data set. The study indicates that Landsat-8 OLI images have the potential to detect and map leaf-cutting ant nests in T. grandis plantations.

Insecticides are the main method of controlling lepidopteran pests of eucalyptus plantations and those selective to natural enemies, such as the endoparasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare et LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), are preferable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the selectivity and effects on biological parameters of the insecticide deltamethrin, registered for the control of defoliator caterpillars of eucalyptus, to the parasitoid P. elaeisis aiming the rational use of this insecticide and its compatibility with parasitoids. The experiment was in a completely randomized design. The treatments were the doses of 0.64, 1.40, 3.10, 6.83, 15.03, 33.05, 72.7 and 160 mg a.i./L of deltamethrin and the control (distilled water) with 10 replications, each with a pupae of the alternative host Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) exposed by the immersion method. The parasitism, biological cycle, emergence, longevity, head width and metatibia length of the natural enemy were evaluated. Deltamethrin reduced parasitism and the emergence rates of P. elaeisis. The duration of the biological cycle of this parasitoid, emerged from T. molitor pupae exposed to 15.03 mg a.i./L of deltamethrin, was higher. The morphometric parameters of P. elaeisis exposed to the doses of 0.64 and 1.40 mg a.i./L of the insecticide were lower. However, the morphometric parameter values were higher with the doses above 3.10 mg a.i./L than in the control. The parasitism and emergence of P. elaeisis were also reduced by the deltamethrin doses lower than the commercially recommended one and therefore, this insecticide is not selective for this natural enemy.

Leaf-cutting ants are one of the most important pests of eucalyptus plantations and it is essential to monitor and control these insects to avoid damage to wood production. The objective of this research was to assess the utility of the multispectral sensor, Sentinel-2 (S-2) in mapping defoliation caused by leaf-cutting ants in Eucalyptus plantations. The study was carried out in Eucalyptus plantations in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná state, Brazil. The leaf-cutting ant nests were located, measured and georeferenced. Multispectral images from bands 2, 3, 4 and 8 of the S-2 satellite and four vegetation indices (VIs) were tested in predicting and mapping leaf-cutting ant defoliation. From each image scene the reflectance values were extracted and a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was performed. The predictive variables, included in the PLS-DA regression, were selected based on the calculation of the variable importance in the projection (VIP). The accuracy of the mapping was 84.5% using six main components, demonstrating a satisfactory approach to operationally classifying canopies of Eucalyptus stands attacked by leaf-cutting ants. The study indicates the potential of freely available medium resolution Multispectral instrument (MSI) S-2 images, to accurately detect and map defoliation caused by Atta species in commercial forest plantations.

A transferência de tecnologia é uma das formas de se estabelecer parcerias entre instituições de pesquisa com empresas, porém, é um processo complexo para ambos os atores. Do ponto de vista das Instituições, o objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma análise das Políticas de Inovação quanto à aplicabilidade das leis de inovação vigentes, no que se refere à transferência de tecnologia das Instituições de Pesquisa para as empresas. A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho foi a de pesquisa exploratória e análise documental. Foram analisadas as Políticas de Inovação Tecnológica já aprovadas pelos Conselhos Superiores, pertencentes a três Instituições de Ciência e Tecnologia e Inovação (ICT) do Brasil, denominadas de ICT 1, 2 e 3. Constatou-se a pouca aplicabilidade das legislações vigentes nas Políticas de Inovação Tecnológica aprovadas. Recomenda-se que em futuros estudos sejam analisados os impactos dessas parcerias com base na Lei do Marco Legal da Ciência, Tecnologia e Informação.