DETERRÊNCIA À ALIMENTAÇÃO E À OVIPOSIÇÃO DE Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) PELO USO PÓS VEGETAIS EM MILHO ARMAZENADO

Abstract

Plants with insecticidal effect are among the alternatives as a tool to control the insect-pest of stored grains. The objective of this study was to characterize the efficiency of plant-based powders on Sitophilus zeamais insects in stored grains. Using fourteen plant species (Arnica montana Baccharis trimera Less., Coriandrum sativum L., Coffea arabica, Cymbopogon martini, Helianthus annuus, Lippia gracillis, Mentha pulegium L., Moringa oleífera, Nicotiana tabacum, Piper aduncum, Piper hispidinervum, Sesamum indicum and Vitis labrusca) obtained from tritured vegetable material, and compared with a control treatment. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with six replicates each treatment. In the tests, 0.5 g of the inert powders were mixed into the grains (50 g) of hybrid corn AS 1551 into plastic vials and infested with 10 emerged adult of S. zeamais. After 20 days of infestation, oviposition was evaluated and counts of emerged adults. At the end of the infestation period, evalued the dry weight of the insects, the weight of grains consumed and the period of development (egg-adult). Most of the vegetal powders presented effective action on the emerged insects. By the use of the powders it verified reduction in the ooposition, except for Vitis labrusca and Sesamum indicum whose egg numbers were higher than control, also had less effect on the development of caruncho larvae. The low weight of adults from corn kernels treated with Nicotiana tabacum powder suggests a reduction in feeding of S. zeamais larvae.