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The Borer moth Crocidosema aporema (Walshingham J9/4) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a potentially harmful species to the soybean crops, particularly in the areas of temperate weather, like those in the southernmost section of Rio Grande do Sul State. Level of damage caused on the late crops of the season is influenced by sowing time and varies according to the genotype. Currently the available information in Brazil pertinent to the variaton on C. aporema onslaught on commercial genotypes is scarce. This paper evaluated the damage provoked on late-season crops upon eighteen soybean commercial genotypes, compared in two groups according to relative maturity degree (RMD), in the V.4, V.6, V.8, V.10, R.2 and R.4 phenological states, during the agricultural year 2009/ 2010, in the Campanha Region of Rio Grande do Sul. Significant differences on attack levels were found among the longer cycle genotypes, being the 'Fundacep 59' cultivar the least attacked in this group and 'Fepagro RS-IO' and 'Fundacep 45 - Missions' cultivars the genotypes presenting the highest damage to the crops. Level of damage varied differently according to the phenological stage for each genotype; there were cultivars suffering from highest attack levels during their vegetative stages and cultivars under heavier attack on reproductive stages. Monitoring of damage to the late-season crops identified only once, in the 'Fepagro RS-10' cultivar, the need for control adoption, when the level of 30% of attacked crops by C. aporema was reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of edaphic mites in Brazilian natural environments is little known, especially in the Pampa biome, in southern region of Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity and abundance of edaphic fauna of mesostigmatid mites in a region of the Pampa biome of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Soil samples were collected in the municipality of Aceguá, in 2012 and 2013. Mites were extracted using Berlese-Tullgren modified funnels. In total, 1900 mesostigmatid mites were collected, representing 44 species from 23 genera and 10 families. The most abundant families were Rhodacaridae, Ologamasidae and Laelapidae, with respectively 903, 578 and 214 specimens, corresponding respectively to 47.5, 30.4 and 11.3% of the Mesostigmata collected. Laelapidae was the most diverse family, being represented by 22 species. The remaining families were each represented by 1-5 species. Gaeolaelaps (Laelapidae) was the most diverse genus, with 14 species. Rhodacaridae was represented by a single species, Binodacarus aceguaensis Duarte, Castilho, Cunha & Moraes, representing 47.5% of the mesostigmatids. Ologamasidae was represented by four species, with Neogamasellevans sp. corresponding to the second most abundant species, representing 27.5% of the mesostigmatids. Further analysis of the data, in terms of mite identification to species level and the potential use of the mites collected for applied biological control are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]