The history of international travel and trade is the history of invasive species. Brazil, like everywhere else in the world, has its problems with invasives that have become pests - oranges in Brazil canbe attacked by Medfly (Mediterranean Fruit Fly) and Citrus Greening Disease (a bacterial disease that’s vectored by an insect, the Citrus Psyllid), bamboo is widely established and has become an urban forester’s nightmare, and there are a number of plant diseases – but this isn’t nearly as serious an issue in Brazil as in the U.S. There are fewer invasive species in agricultural systems here than in MN. According to producers and industry representatives, Brazil’s immense biodiversity, even in the semi-tropical regions we’re touring, goes a long way to prevent the successful introduction, establishment and dispersal of invasive species into agricultural systems. And invasives typically don’t do well in competitive, tropical habitats; certainly, the invasive species we’ve discussed have been primarily tropical species themselves and most of the cropping systems in which they have become established are perennial monocultures. The recognition of species as invasive, however, may also color the issue. While there seems to be minimal weed control in the systems we’ve visited so far, and industry representatives report invasive species are not an issue, university scientists report it is a funded research topic. While the extension presence among faculty at state universities is very strong (most of the faculty have what amounts to a 3-way appointment), we wonder if there has been significant educational effort on invasive species. Many producers, when pressed, do respond that the pests with which they are currently dealing are ‘new’ – you do the math…

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As some of the other team members have noted, Brazil is a country of contrasts. However, there are some striking similarities with the U.S. in pest management issues. Like in the U.S., informed application and management of pesticides remains a challenge. And some of the agricultural co-ops are stepping up, just like in the U.S. The Associacao Dos Fornecedores de Cana de Piracicaba – Centro Canagro (AFOCAPI), the cooperative responsible for facilitating sugarcane production in the Piracicaba region organizes the return of pesticide containers sold through their co-op, recycling or disposing of them as appropriate. These efforts have resulted in virtually 100% of the containers sold through the co-op being returned to the co-op by growers. In developing countries, where appropriate disposal of pesticide containers can be an issue linked to serious health impacts, such an accomplishment is worthy of note.

Insects, ubiquitous in the semi-tropics, have interesting management problems in Brazil, and the innovative Brazilians have developed some interesting solutions. For one thing, the economic benefits of application are much more carefully considered here, a necessity of the different economic conditions, and scouting techniques are actively developed and the methods extended not only by pest management researchers but by IPM practitioners themselves. Many management options are much the same as in MN; many of the same pesticides used in the U.S. are used here and most of the players remain the same. But research is quite active and often focuses on less expensive and more sustainable management tactics. For example, researchers at the Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Quiroz� (ESALQ) are working on biological controls for pests in sugarcane, soybeans and a number of other crops and there is also some very interesting entrepreneurship in the commercial biological control business. There are several companies specializing in the rearing and sale of parasitic wasps for control in commercial production systems and at least one company has developed what is analogous to a trade-in system. This company specializes in the sale of fungal pathogens that will cause disease in pest insects (e.g. Beauveria Bassiana). These pathogenic fungi are sold to growers, who apply them, and in a week or two, the population of pest insects has begun to die. At this point workers return to the field to collect the dead and dying insects and return them to the company’s facilities. Like any other disease, the fungal pathogens have multiplied in their hosts’ bodies, so the infected insects are full of pathogenic fungi. These collected insects are dried and ground up, and the material sold to another customer. Recycling of another type. This company is, however, developing new rearing facilities which will allow them to rear and sell more effective and consistent pathogens without having to ‘recycle’ fungi. Just one example of the innovation we’ve seen in this amazing country.

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