Plankton protects grain stores

Abstract

Scientists at the University of Greenwich (London, UK) want to raise awareness of a grain storage method that Chinese farmers used 4000 years ago. Farmers stored grain along with diatomaceous earth (DE), a chalky rock that came from the fossilized remains of plankton. DE, an alternative to the pesticides currently in use, kills insects by attacking the waxy covering on the outside of their bodies. Tanya Stathers, a researcher at the Natural Resources Institute in Greenwich told reporters, ‘DE could offer a locally available, cheaper, healthier and more environmentally friendly alternative. It is already being used in large-scale grain treatment in Australia.’ [von Radowitz, J. (2001) The Press Association, 29 May] TS