Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Age-related Response of Tribolium Castaneum (herbst) Larvae to Diatomaceous Earth at Different Exposure Periods

Md Mosharrof Hossain
Department of Zoology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh

A M S Reza
Department of Zoology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh

Selina Parveen
Department of Zoology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Context: Diatomaceous earth (DE) compounds have been recognized as reduced risk and eco-friendly compounds, which can be used in the insect pest management programmes for food storage and processing areas. Objective: To determine the repellent or attractant property of a DE formulation (Mitex) against the larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), a major pest of stored-products. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in choice chambers, which was divided into two equal halves by drawing a line through the midline. One half of the chamber was loaded with untreated flour (control) and the other half was loaded with DE-treated flour. Twenty larvae of a definite age were released in the midline of the two foods, thus providing them an option for choosing either treated or untreated food. The experiment was set separately for different ages of larvae (9-, 12- and 15-day old), doses of DE (2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg DE/g of flour) and exposure periods (24-, 48-, 72-, 96- and 120-hours). All the experiments were replicated three times and conducted at 30 ± 1°C in an incubator without humidity and light control. Differences of the distribution of the larvae in treated and untreated flour was analyzed by χ2 test. Results: The efficacy of a diatomaceous earth (DE) compound (Mitex) as a repellent or an attractant was tested against 9-, 12- and 15-day old larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Larvae of all ages were significantly (p<0.001) repelled by DE at doses from 8-32 mg/g food at all exposure periods of 24-, 48-, 72- 96 and 120 h. The mature larvae (15-day old) showed tolerance to the low doses like 2 and 4 mg/g food. Conclusion: The present results revealed that DE can be used as a reduced risk repellent compound in the grain and cereal stores, flour mills and grocery shops to manage the larval population of T. castaneum.

Keywords: Age related response, T. castaneum, Diatomaceous earth

Location: Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Rajshahi University

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Pest Management

Commodity: Insecticide

Objectives:

To determine the repellent or attractant property of a DE formulation (Mitex) against the larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), a major pest of stored-products.

Methodology:

Test materials: Larvae of the red flour beetle, T. castaneum were chosen for this experiment as a model insect to determine the attractant or repellent property of DE. Adult beetles were collected from the stock culture of reared on standard food (wheat flour: brewer’s yeast, 19 : 1, (Park and Frank 1948) in the Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Rajshahi University. Sub-cultures were established by collecting freshly laid eggs. The sub-cultures were reared on standard food at 30 ± 1⁰C in an incubator without humidity and light control. The eggs hatched 3-4 days after laying. The neonates were allowed to feed on the same food and the food was replaced by a fresh one after every three days (Mondal 1984). For this experiment the 9-, 12- and 15 day old larvae were used. Mitex, a commercial product containing DE, marketed by Agril, UK, was used. The experimental doses of Mitex used were 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg-g of standard food. Experimentation: The experiment was conducted in choice chamber as described by Mathlein (1967), Mondal (1984) and Parweeen (1996). The choice chamber was made from a glass petridish (9 cm diameter). The petridish was divided into two equal halves by drawing a line across the middle. By the use of partition one half of the choice chamber was loaded with flour (untreated control) and the other half with treated (DE) flour. Twenty larvae of a definite age were released in the midline of the choice chamber, thus providing an option for the insects to select either treated or control food (Parween 1996). The experiments were set separately for each age of larva, each dose of DE and each exposure period (24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h). The choice chambers were kept undisturbed at room temperature in the laboratory. After each exposure period, both treated and untreated portions of food were poured separately on separate paper sheets. Then each of the treated and untreated flour was passed through a 500 μm mesh sieve. The number of larvae found on the sieve was counted separately for both treated and untreated foods. The experiment was replicated three times. The number of beetles found in each food section was counted and the percentage was calculated from the average number of three replications. The differences of distribution of beetles on either food section were measured by χ² tests for the level of significance.

Source of Information: J. bio-sci. 18: 40-43, 2010 ISSN 1023-8654

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The present results revealed that DE can be used as a reduced risk repellent compound in the grain and cereal stores, flour mills and grocery shops to manage the larval population of T. castaneum.

Knowledge Management: Journal