Abstract
The insect known as maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) is one of the most important pests of stored corn in Brazil. Among the various forms of control, one can highlight the use of inert powders, which has advantages of not providing risk to the environment or to human and animal health, besides not having reports of insect resistance. Thus, this work evaluated the effect of different doses of diatomaceous earth on the development of Sitophilus zeamais on two temperature conditions on corn grain storage. A completely randomized design was adopted in a factorial 4x2x4 (diatomaceous earth dose x storage temperature x storage time) dosage, with three replicates. The diatomaceous earth doses were: 0, 250, 500 and 1000 g t-1 and subsequently stored at temperatures of 22 and 30°C for 90 days. The bulk density decreased during the storage for all diatomaceous earth doses applied, but in inverse proportion to the dose increment. Diatomaceous earth has proven better efficiency in the control of S. zeamais, with increase in dose and storage temperature. Dry weight decrease was observed in all doses and storage temperatures evaluated, but it was more pronounced in those grains that have not received the application of diatomaceous earth.
Highlights
According to FAO (2006), each year in countries that are in the development process, millions of tons of cereals, roots, tubers, fruits and vegetables, do not reach the consumer’s table, partly due to problems that occur in processes related to post harvest, as the weakness for procedures, drying and storage equipment, damage from insects, fungi, rodents among other pests, and problems due to logistics, transportation and marketing
According to an estimate by Embrapa (2015), in Brazil, losses related to improper storage of grain totaled around of 15% of total production, mostly attributed to insect pests, fungi and mycotoxins added to rodent attacks
The corn grains used were originated from the Agricultural Experimental Station (AES), belonging to the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, located at km 47 of the BR 290, in Eldorado do Sul (30o05’52 “S, 51o39’08” W and average altitude of 46 m), cultivated in the crop season 2014/2015
Summary
According to FAO (2006), each year in countries that are in the development process, millions of tons of cereals, roots, tubers, fruits and vegetables, do not reach the consumer’s table, partly due to problems that occur in processes related to post harvest, as the weakness for procedures, drying and storage equipment, damage from insects, fungi, rodents among other pests, and problems due to logistics, transportation and marketing. According to an estimate by Embrapa (2015), in Brazil, losses related to improper storage of grain totaled around of 15% of total production, mostly attributed to insect pests, fungi and mycotoxins added to rodent attacks. Among the main storage insects that attack corn, cite the Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), popularly known as maize weevil. This is an internal primary pest because adults cause damage to intact and healthy grains, while the larvae feed on the inner part of the grain. Damage results from weight reduction and grain quality (LORINI et al, 2015)
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