The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Coffea racemosa Lour. methanolic extract , a wild coffee specie that presents resistance against the coffee leaf-miner, a major pest of coffee crop. The methanol extract of C. racemosa leaves was sprayed on coffee seedlings, Coffea arabica cv. Catuaí, in greenhouse, which were exposed to adults of L. coffeella for oviposition in free choice test. Plants treated were less preferred for oviposition. An ovicidal assay was carried out by spraying the methanol extract on C. arabica seedlings containing L. coffeela eggs on their leaves. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with five replicates. Larvae hatching out from treated eggs were significantly reduced by the extract and non viable eggs presented some anomalies on their external surfaces according to analyses by scanning electron microscopy. However, the adults derived from treated eggs did not have the percentage of emergence, sex ratio and oviposition affected by the treatment. The results show that C. racemosa presents as a promising alternative to control the coffee leaf-miner, being necessary new studies to isolate and caracterize the bioactive substances against this pest.
Leucoptera coffeella; botanical insecticide; coffee; natural products
