Efficiency of inert mineral dusts in the control of corn weevil

Abstract

Corn weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) may cause great losses in the crop and in stored corn grains. This insect is controlled with the use of chemical insecticides, which may cause serious damage to human health. One alternative of control is the use of inert dusts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of inert dusts in the control of S. zeamais under laboratory conditions. The experiment was conducted in 2014, in a completely randomized design, and the treatments consisted of basalt dust with three different granulometries (A, B and C) and diatomaceous earth, each of which at the doses of 2 and 4 kg t-1 and a control (no application). Each treatment had four replicates, and the sample unit consisted of 20 g of corn grains infected with 10 adults of S. zeamais kept in temperature-controlled chamber at 25 °C, 70% RH and photophase of 12 h. The dust efficiency was calculated using the equation of Abbott. The mortality rate was higher with the use of diatomaceous earth, reaching 100% after 5 days of exposure and the percentage of control for basalt dusts, 29 days after treatment, was above 80%.

Insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth and dolomite powder against Corn weevil Sitophiluszeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…DEA-P demonstrated a high effectiveness for the control of pests at low doses in all corn hybrids (Kavalliaratos et al, 2018). Jairoce et al (2016), studying the mortality of S. zeamais exposed to different doses of DE, observed the correlation of the dose to the period of exposure. Longer periods of exposure at the highest doses promoted better control of the corn weevil; however, in the present study, we found that intermediate doses presented high mortality in a short period of time.…”

An Overview of Natural Inert Dust Utilization Against Stored-Product Pests as Part of Integrated Pest Management

“…The efficacy of Dryacide has been confirmed by some studies on the various stored products, making it an acceptable grain protectant [55, [81][82][83][84][85][86]. A study by Jairoce et al [87], stated that one of the reasons for using DE in large-scale storage that it is effective at lower doses (2 kg/t) and showed good efficiency in controlling S. zeamais. In a similar study, Morais et al [88] evaluated the influence of DE as an alternative in the control of O. surinamesis on corn storage and observed that a dose of 1.5 kg/t was sufficient to kill all insects as well as ensure its efficiency.…”

Efficacy of alternative and biological insecticides on Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in corn grains

“…Due to these problems, there were studies on natural insecticides in the solution of post-inerts, and among the products tested, the diatomaceous earth stood out with efficiency on the insect, mainly by deteriorating the wax layer on the wing of Sitophilus zeamais causing death by desiccation (Jairoce et al, 2016;Korunic, 2013;Marsaro Júnior et al, 2013). In addition to this insecticide, extracts and vegetable oils such as nicotine (Nicotiana tabacum), neem (Azadirachta indica), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora) showed significant efficacy, since they cause a decrease in the insect population without causing human intoxication and leaving residues in the grain mass (Gomes & Favero, 2011;Ootani et al, 2011;Vedovatto et al, 2015).…”