Non-thermal plasma as emerging technology for Tribolium castaneum pest-management in stored grains and flours.
Date
2022
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Abstract
The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a major secondary pest on
wheat stored in metal bins, silo-bags and is also frequently found in wheat products such as flour. Non-thermal
plasmas (NTPs) are (quasi-neutral) partially ionized gases that may be produced by a variety of electrical dis charges. We propose the use of an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) as an emerging
technology in post-harvest integrated pest management. To this aim, a series of experiments were performed in
order to test the lethality of such plasmas on three life stages of T. castaneum by measuring insect mortality and
their impacts on physiological and biochemical parameters affecting insect fitness. The different NTP treatments
were performed by increasing the time of exposure to either O2 or N2 used as carrier gases. After 24 hours, high
levels of mortality (30–100%) were reached for each applied treatment, in both larval and adult populations.
Mortality seems to be related to a significant water content loss and redox imbalance. Atomic force microscopy
(AFM) scanning of the prothoracic surface showed that nitrogen causes more severe damage than oxygen. As a
consequence of the cuticle damage, the quinone-containing secretions of the prothoracic and abdominal glands
were affected. We also carried out experiments on egg-containing flours to test the ovicidal activity of NTP. The
flours were evaluated at three and twelve weeks after treatments. A 3-min nitrogen treatment showed ovicidal
properties, while the remaining NTPs partially killed the eggs and delayed the emergence of larvae and adults. In
conclusion, we propose an inexpensive physical treatment, which controls the entire life cycle of a major grain
pest, avoiding chemical residues.
Fil: Pedrini, Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata. CONICET. Argentina.
Fil: Pedrini, Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata. CONICET. Argentina.
Description
Keywords
Plasma technology., Pest management., Tribolium castaneum., Oxidative stress., Atomic force microscopy.
Citation
Journal of Stored Products Research.
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