Table 1 Peasant farmers' knowledge on forms or strategies to control pests, the procedure they adopt and the pests that are susceptible to treatment, in the municipality of Lagoa Seca, state of Paraíba.
Types of management | Procedure | Pests (susceptible to treatment) |
|---|---|---|
Crop rotation | Rotated crops: lettuce, Lactuca sativa; coriander, Coriandrum sativum; scallion, Allium fistulosum; carrot, Daucus carota; cabbage, Brassica oleracea | 'Cachorrinho-d'água' (an orthopteran, a kind of mole cricket that attacks plant roots); an unidentified little caterpillar; 'lagarta-de-rosca' (a noctuid moth, Agrotis ipsilon, living at the base of host plants or in the soil) |
Destruction of fruits and crop remains | Burning of fruits (slightly attacked fruits); removal of crops followed by burning (fruits strongly attacked) | 'Mosca branca' (white fly, a dipteran, Bemisia argentifoli); 'mosca-das-frutas' (a fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata); an unidentified caterpillar |
Mixed cropping, with repellent plants | Cravo-de-defunto (a marigold, Tagetes minuta) | 'Pulgão-do-algodoeiro' (a kind of cotton plant louse, Aphis gossipy); unidentified species of caterpillar, mite, and moth |
Irrigation water in abundance on crops | Jets of water, by using host, are shot on pest's patches on the crop | Unidentified species of caterpillars and ants, in general |
Caterpillars covered with soil | A handful of soil is put on pest's patches on the crop | Caterpillars of Helicoverta sp., that attack corncobs and of Spodoptera frugiperda, that attack the maize plant |
Soil preparation | Organic amendments are prepared and fallowed from 8 to 22 days, being applied lately twice during winter (the rainy season) | Applied on the pests above-mentioned |