Uso do óleo essencial de citronela no controle de sitophilus zeamais em grãos armazenados

Abstract

The weevil is a pest that causes major problems in corn storage, the main control method being chemical, however for agroecological crops other control methods are studied. This work was conducted in the laboratory of hydraulics, transport phenomena and environmental thermodynamics at the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul - Erechim campus, with the aim of analyzing the insecticidal efficacy of citronella essential oil for the control of Sitophilus zeamais in stored corn grains. The essential oil used was 100% pure and vegan. The temperature for oil fumigation was set at 75°C with a variation of ±3°C. Tests were carried out in 3D-printed mini-silos. The experiment was conducted to determine the percentage of mortality at different hours of insect exposure to the oil, using intervals of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and 96 hours of fumigation, with three repetitions of each test. In each silo, 500g of corn were used, along with the introduction of 10 insects, and after fumigation, the weevil mortality was analyzed. The results showed efficiency on citronella essential oil in weevil control, with greater relevance after 72 hours of fumigation, indicating that its use may be viable for controlling stored pests in storage silos or statistical drying silos, where the longer the exposure time to the oil, the higher the insect mortality rate. Therefore, for more efficient control, fumigation of the oil should be carried out for 96 hours when it exceeds 70%, thereby achieving satisfactory results. It is suggested that further research be conducted to achieve 100% control of weevils in stored corn grains.