Efeito do número de liberações de Trichogramma galloi (Zucchi, 1988) no parasitismo de ovos de Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr., 1794)

This work was carried out to study the effect of weekly releases of Trichogramma galloi Zucchi, 1988 on egg parasitism of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr., 1794). The research was conducted in two distinct regions of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, using the sugarcane variety RB 72454, six and nine months old, cultivated in a spacing of 1.40m. The experimental plots were artificially infested with sugarcane borer eggs on a weekly basis during 3 weeks, as following: a - Control (no releases); b - one T. galloi release after the first egg infestation; c - two T. galloi releases: one after the first egg infestation and the other following the second egg infestation; d - three weekly releases of T. galloi. The results showed that weekly releases are necessary to maintain high levels of T. galloi parasitization during the peak period of sugarcane borer eggs.