ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2241-9837 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-005, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth against Callosobruchus maculates under laboratory conditions
Golnaz Shams1*, Mohammad Hassan Safaralizadeh2 and Sohrab Imani1
1Department of Entomology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran.
Accepted 23 March, 2019
Abstract
Laboratory experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth against adults of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) and Sitophilus granarius (L.), two important stored grain pests in darkness (30°C and 65% RH). Wheat and cowpea were treated with the diatomaceous earth formulation Silicosec® (Biofa, Germany), at five concentrations determined with preliminary tests and compared with untreated wheat and cowpea as control. Dead adults were counted 24, 36 and 48 h later. Results showed that increasing the concentration of Silicosec® and days after treatment (DAT) significantly increased the mortality rates of adults to above 90% in both experiments. Regarding Lc50 and Lc95 values, it was observed that C. maculatus adults are more susceptible to Silicosec® than S. granarius. The results showed that these two pests could be controlled successfully with diatomaceous earth.
Key words: Callosobruchus maculatus, diatomaceous earth, Silicosec®, Sitophilus granarius, stored grains, cowpea, wheat.