Eficácia inseticida da terra diatomácea e resposta comportamental de populações de Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.(Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Abstract

Brazil is a country with enormous potential for the production of grain. However, the country faces serious problems in the control of stored grain pests. The Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is one of the most destructive pests of corn, whose control is done by insecticides, however, their indiscriminate use has led to the development of resistant populations. In this context, Diatomaceous Earth stands in the control of stored grain pests. In view of this, the objective of this study was to investigate whether there are differences among Brazilian populations of S. zeamais in its Diatomaceous Earth resistance capacity associated with some behavioral characteristics of locomotion and of S. zeamais control efficiency. We used four populations of S. zeamais from the states of the Federal District (DF), Minas Gerais (MG) and Pernambuco (PE). The bioassay control efficiency was structured in a factorial (3 doses of Diatomaceous Earth x 3 exposure times) with four replications. Each repetition was constituted by ten adult insects, placed in Petri dishes containing corn treated with diatomaceous earth. The number of live insects by repetition after 24, 48 and 72 hours of exposure to Diatomaceous Earth. The behavioral bioassay was structured in a factorial (4 people x 3 doses of Diatomaceous Earth), where each repetition consisted of a single insect housed in the Petri dish. The movement of the insects was recorded and their locomotor behavior was observed for ten minutes. The tested variables were distance (cm) traversal velocity (cm. S-1), moving time (s) and number of stops. The results demonstrate an increased mortality of insects S. zeamais with increasing doses. There was also different responses among populations of S. zeamais in their behavioral resilience associated with decrease in distance traveled, the number of stops of insects with increasing doses. Confirming the existence of behavioral resistance in populations of S. zeamais studied. In view of this, the elucidation of possible behavioral changes in populations of S. zeamais exposed to Diatomaceous Earth can provide new ways to increase the effectiveness in the management of this pest.