Effect of Technical Insecticides Against the Sorghum Aphid Melanaphis sorghi Efecto de Insecticidas Técnicos contra el Pulgón del Sorgo Melanaphis sorghi Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • The sorghum aphid Melanaphis sorghi Theobald (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is the main pest of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (Poaceae), in Mexico. New alternatives to control this insect are currently being explored, such as plant extracts and technical grade molecules. We evaluated the effects of three fatty acids (cis-10-heptadecenoic, palmitoleic and docosanoic) and two alkanes (pentadecane and octadecane) in vitro against apterous adults of M. sorghi. The results showed that palmitoleic acid caused the highest mortality rates (<72% at LC50= 2,003 ppm), followed by docosanoic acid (<66% at LC50= 2,389 ppm) at 5,000 ppm after 72 h, while the control with a commercial insecticide (Confial®, imidacloprid) achieved 100% control at 24 hours. Therefore, due to the high reproduction rate of aphids, the technical insecticides used in this research represent an effective option to control M. sorghi. © 2024 Southwestern Entomological Society. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • December 2, 2024