title: Assessment of Insecticidal Efficacy of Diatomaceous Earth and Powders of Common Lavender and Field Horsetail against Bean Weevil Adults.
abstract: In the search for an effective and sustainable control method against the bean weevil Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say), an important insect pest affecting stored common beans and other legumes, three different powders were tested against adult been weevils under laboratory conditions. The three powders were diatomaceous earth (DE) (commercial product SilicoSec®), common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) powder and field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) powder. The substances were tested at five temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C), two relative humidity levels (RH) (55 and 75%), and four concentrations (100, 300, 500, and 900 ppm). The mortality of adults was measured after the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 7th days of exposure. The efficacy of the powders increased with the temperature, whereas in general, RH did not have a significant effect on the adults' survival. According to common practice of storing common beans, we recommend the use of DE against the pest in question, as this inert powder showed the highest efficacy at lower temperatures and concentrations. Concerning the wider use of common lavender and field horsetail powders, we suggest studying their combined use with other environmentally friendly methods with the aim of achieving the highest synergistic effect possible.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnical Faculty, Dept of Agronomy, Univ of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1111, Ljubljana, Slovenia. tanja.bohinc@bf.uni-lj.si.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bohinc
authors.affiliation: General Directorate of Plant Produce, Directorate of Plant Produce Protection, Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Kallithea, Greece.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vayias
authors.affiliation: Biotechnical Faculty, Dept of Agronomy, Univ of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1111, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bartol
authors.affiliation: Biotechnical Faculty, Dept of Agronomy, Univ of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1111, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trdan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007692:Diatomaceous Earth; D020829:Equisetum; D027523:Lavandula; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011208:Powders; D048889:Weevils
chemical_list: D011208:Powders; D007692:Diatomaceous Earth
keywords: Diatomaceous earth; insecticidal efficacy; stored pest control; sustainable pest management