Grain surface-layer treatment of diatomaceous earth for insect control.

Abstract

This paper describes an alternative method to synthetic insecticides used for protection of stored agricultural products the purpose of which is to minimise the everyday human exposure to those chemicals. The method uses diatomaceous earth which is practically non-toxic to humans and fully acceptable for the environment. Fifty and 100-cm-deep layers of Hard Red Spring wheat Triticum aestivum (L.) in metal containers (cylinders), 30 cm in diameter and 150 cm in height were treated with 0.5 and 0.75 g of diatomaceous earth Protect-It per kg of wheat. The treatment reduced the population of Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) by 98 to 100% with respect to controls. The conclusion is that a 100-cm-surface layer treated with 0.5 g/kg of Protect-It is sufficient to control these insects, and that no more than 20% of the total grain mass should be treated to minimise bulk density reduction. A field test using a similar design is essential to confirm the laboratory findings.