Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38446 Volos, Greece.
Molecules. 2021 Dec 10;26(24):7487. doi: 10.3390/molecules26247487.
Nowadays, we are tackling various issues related to the overuse of synthetic insecticides. Growing concerns about biodiversity, animal and human welfare, and food security are pushing agriculture toward a more sustainable approach, and research is moving in this direction, looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to be adopted in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocols. In this regard, inert dusts, especially diatomaceous earths (DEs), hold a significant promise to prevent and control a wide range of arthropod pests. DEs are a type of naturally occurring soft siliceous sedimentary rock, consisting of the fossilized exoskeleton of unicellular algae, which are called diatoms. Mainly adopted for the control of stored product pests, DEs have found also their use against some household insects living in a dry environment, such as bed bugs, or insects of agricultural interest. In this article, we reported a comprehensive review of the use of DEs against different arthropod pest taxa, such as Acarina, Blattodea, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Ixodida, Lepidoptera, when applied either alone or in combination with other techniques. The mechanisms of action of DEs, their real-world applications, and challenges related to their adoption in IPM programs are critically reported.
如今，我们正在解决与过度使用合成杀虫剂有关的各种问题。人们对生物多样性、动物和人类福利以及食品安全的日益关注，促使农业向更可持续的方向发展，研究也朝着这个方向发展，寻找可用于综合虫害管理（IPM）方案的环保替代品。在这方面，惰性粉尘，特别是硅藻土（DEs），在预防和控制广泛的节肢动物害虫方面具有很大的潜力。DEs 是一种天然存在的软硅质沉积岩，由单细胞藻类的化石外骨骼组成，这些藻类被称为硅藻。DEs 主要用于控制储存产品害虫，也发现它们可用于防治一些生活在干燥环境中的家庭昆虫，如臭虫，或农业感兴趣的昆虫。在本文中，我们全面回顾了 DEs 在防治不同节肢动物害虫类群中的应用，如蜱螨目、蜚蠊目、鞘翅目、双翅目、半翅目、膜翅目、棘头虫目、鳞翅目，无论是单独使用还是与其他技术结合使用。我们批判性地报告了 DEs 的作用机制、实际应用以及在 IPM 计划中采用它们所面临的挑战。
