Keywords: Bruchid Modified atmosphere Phaseolus vulgaris Plastic bottle Silo bag a b s t r a c tThis study evaluated hermetic storage as a method of controlling Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) in stored beans. Recently harvested "vermelhinho" cultivar of the common red bean was used, which had already been infested by A. obtectus in the field. Beans with a moisture content of 15.0% wet basis were stored in silo bags (3 kg), plastic bottles (1.5 L), or non-hermetic glass containers (3 L) (control) for 120 days. The packages were stored in an acclimatized chamber at 25 C with a relative humidity of 70 ± 5%. At time intervals of 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days, three packages of each treatment were opened, and analyses were performed to assess the infestation percentage by insect pests, moisture content, density, electrical conductivity, germination percentage, and cooking time. There was no increase in infestation by A. obtectus in the grains stored in the silo bags and plastic bottles during the 120 days of storage; however, there was a significant increase in infestation in the grains in nonhermetic storage (control). The quality of the beans correlated with infestation; it was not altered in the hermetic storage systems and decreased in the control sample. Hermetic storage of common beans is an effective tool in the control of A. obtectus.

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The effect of ozone fumigation on the reduction of difenoconazole residue on strawberries was studied. Strawberries were immersed in 1.0 L of aqueous solution containing 400 μL of the commercial product (250 g L(-1) of difenoconazole) for 1 min. Then, they were dried and exposed to ozone gas (O3) at concentrations of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.8 mg L(-1) for 1 h. The ozone fumigation treatments reduced the difenoconazole residue on strawberries to concentrations below 0.5 mg kg(-1), which corresponds to a 95% reduction. The strawberries treated with ozone and the control group, which was not treated with ozone, were stored at 4°C for 10 days. Some characteristics of the fruit were monitored throughout this period. Among these, pH, weight loss and total color difference did not change significantly (P > 0.05). The fumigation with ozone significantly affected the soluble solids, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content (vitamin C) of the strawberries preventing a sharp reduction of these parameters during storage.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal activity of diatomaceous earth (DE) at different ambient temperatures on adult Sitophilus zeamais and progeny, using different doses and exposure periods. The experiments were performed in Petri dishes containing 40 g of the whole corn kernel, treated with DE at doses of 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 kg Mg -1 . Each dish was infested with 25 S. zeamais adults and kept at climatic chambers under temperatures of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 o C. The insect mortality was recorded after six and 15 days from the beginning of the bioassays. The grains evaluated at 15 days were separated from insects and kept in the dishes for another 75 days under the same temperature conditions. After this period the effect of ambient temperature and of diatomaceous earth doses on the emergence of S. zeamais in the F 1 generation was evaluated. It was found that the mortality of S. zeamais increased with the higher dose and temperature during the exposure period of six and 15 days. The number of insects emerged reduced with increasing temperature in these two exposure periods. The increase of temperature and exposure period favored the efficacy of DE in lower doses for control of S. zeamais.Key words: corn weevil, inert dusts, storage, insect control Bioatividade da terra de diatomácea para Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) em diferentes condições de aplicação RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a atividade inseticida da terra de diatomácea (TD) em diferentes temperaturas ambiente sobre adultos de Sitophilus zeamais e sua progênie, utilizando-se diferentes doses e períodos de exposição. Os experimentos foram realizados em placas de Petri contendo 40 g de grãos inteiros de milho, tratados com TD nas doses de 0; 0,25; 0,5 e 1,0 kg Mg -1 . Cada placa foi infestada com 25 adultos de S. zeamais e mantida em câmaras climáticas nas temperaturas de 20, 25, 30, 35 e 40 °C. A mortalidade dos insetos foi contabilizada após seis e 15 dias do início dos bioensaios. Os grãos avaliados aos 15 dias foram separados dos insetos e mantidos nas placas por mais 75 dias sob as mesmas condições de temperatura. Após este período avaliou-se o efeito da temperatura ambiente e das doses da TD sobre a emergência de S. zeamais na geração F 1 . Verificou-se que a mortalidade de S. zeamais aumentou com o incremento da dose e da temperatura nos períodos de exposição de seis e 15 dias; já o número de insetos emergidos reduziu com o aumento da temperatura nesses dois períodos de exposição. O aumento da temperatura e do período de exposição favoreceu a eficácia da TD em menores doses, para controle de S. zeamais.Palavras-chave: gorgulho-do-milho, pós-inertes, armazenamento, controle de insetos