Adhesion of diatomaceous earth dusts on wheat and corn kernels

Abstract

Insect infestations are a major threat to the quality of stored grain. One method of insect control is to apply diatomaceous earth (DE), a non-chemical, inert dust that is composed of the ossified remains of diatoms. Diatomaceous Earth kills insects via abrasion and desiccation when the insect is exposed to a sufficient quantity of DE from contact on the grain surface. Therefore, good dust adhesion is desirable to ensure that the DE will come in contact with insects in sufficient quantity to provide the insect control expected. This study considered the adhesion ratio of three types of DE, Celite, Dryacide, and Diafil, on wheat and corn kernels. All three types of DE adhered better to wheat than to corn, and to higher moisture grain than lower moisture grain, and moisture content affected the adhesion on corn more than wheat. Dryacide had the lowest adhesion of the three DE tested at each condition. Dryacide's adhesion was significantly lower than at least one other DE in each test and was lower than both other DE for 12% moisture corn and 15% moisture wheat. Celite had the highest adhesion measured in each trial except for 15% moisture corn but was only significantly higher than Diafil for 12% moisture wheat. Additionally, higher surface roughness correlated with higher adhesion percentages, indicating that rougher diatomaceous earth formulations will be better at adhering to grain particles.