Occurrence, abundance and geographic distribution of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in agricultural landscapes of Santa Catarina, Brazil

DOI: 10.52945/rac.v39i.2259
Published 2026-10-16

Authors

Abstract

Helicoverpa armigera ((Hübner, 1808) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest of economic importance for several crops, widely distributed in Asia, Africa, Oceania and, more recently, in the American continent, being recorded in Brazil since 2013. In this study we report the occurrence, geographical distribution, host plants and effects of landscapes on the abundance of the species in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Pheromone traps captured 1761 male moths, among which Helicoverpa armigera was predominant. Larvae were recorded in the soybean, tomato and tobacco crops. The occurrence of H. armigera was confirmed in 59 municipalities out of 91 sampled in the territory of Santa Catarina, most of them belonging to the Western region, which has the largest planted area of grains in the state. Soybean fields with area larger than 4000 ha had the highest abundance of H. armigera. The results show the importance of the agricultural landscape to the occurrence of H. armigera, and this study is the first to record the species in tobacco in Brazil.

Author Biographies

  • Fabiane dos Santos

    Master´ degree in Plant Genetic Resources (UFSC). Engineer Agronomist at the Integrated Agricultural Development Company of Santa Catarina (CIDASC). E-mail: fabiane@cidasc.sc.gov.br

    • Conceptualization
    • Methodology
    • Data Curation
    • Formal Analysis
    • Writing – Original Draft Preparation
    • Writing – Review & Editing
    Competing Interests

    The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

  • Afonso Inácio Orth

    PhD in Biology, University of Miami. Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, in the Department of Crop Science. Researcher in entomology (UFSC). Email afonso.orth@ufsc.br

    • Conceptualization
    • Methodology
    • Formal Analysis
    • Writing – Original Draft Preparation
    • Writing – Review & Editing
    Competing Interests

    The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

  • Anna Cristina Xavier

    Specialist in Botany (FAMMESP). BS in Agronomy by Federal University of Santa Catarina. Rural extension agent at EMATER-RS/ASCAR. E-mail: axavier@emater.tche.br

    • Data Curation
    • Formal Analysis
    • Writing – Review & Editing
    Competing Interests

    The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

  • Rubens Onofre Nodari

    PhD in Genetics, University of California at Davis. Professor of the Graduate Program in Plant Genetic Resources (UFSC). E-mail: rubens.nodari@ufsc.br

    • Conceptualization
    • Methodology
    • Writing – Original Draft Preparation
    • Writing – Review & Editing
    Competing Interests

    The authors declare no conflict of interest in this work.

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Keywords

  • Invasive species
  • pest
  • host plant
  • Heliothinae