The objective of this research was to evaluate the leaf level of calcium and the effect attack by caterpillar H. grandella to young mahogany (S. macrophylla) plants cultivated in a nutritive solution. This solution was that proposed by Hoagland and Arnon modified by Epstein (1975). The experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the Federal Rural University of Amazonas (UFRA), at Belem, Para, from September 2004 to February 2005. A split plot experimental desing with five replicates was used. The plots were five doses of calcium (0, 80, 160, 240, 320 mg Ca.L-1) and the subplots two times of harvesting the plants (189 e 211 days after planting) for the variables sensitivity of mahogany seedlings to attack of the drill, gallery length and stem level of calcium. Results showed the calcium decreased gallery length of infection suggesting that it was efficient to control the attact of plague to mahogany seedlings.
Swietenia macrophylla; Hypsipyla grandella; calcium; plaguel
