ABSTRACT
Insecticidal effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Pleurotus ostreatus against Sitophilus zeamais

Fernanda Palavecino-De-La-Fuente1, Gonzalo Silva-Aguayo1*, Inés Figueroa-Cares1, Macarena Gerding1, Jose Concepción Rodríguez-Maciel3, Angel Lagunes-Tejeda3, Gloria Sarahi Castañeda-Ramirez2, César Sotelo-Leyva4, Tomislav Curkovic5, and Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino2
 
The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855; Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is one of the most important pests associated with stored grains. It is controlled almost exclusively with synthetic insecticides. Thus, leading to problems such as pollution and resistance development. Hence an alternative is the use of natural compounds such as edible mushrooms derivates. The aim of this research was to assess, under laboratory conditions, the insecticidal and insectistatic effect of a hydroalcoholic extract of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. 1871 against adults of S. zeamais. The parameters assessed were contact and fumiganttoxicity, repellency, and antifeedant effect. The highest contact toxicity (57.5% mortality) was achieved with 30 mL extract L-1 solvent. No treatment showed repellent effect; the repellency index (RI) values were higher than 1, and the antifeeding activity < 30%. The fumigant effect showed a maximum of 30% mortality with the highest concentration (300 μL L-1 air). The hydroalcoholic extract of P. ostreatus exerts contact toxicity and interferes with insect reproduction or oviposition of Sitophilus zeamais.
Keywords: Edible mushroom, maize weevil, oyster mushroom.
1Universidad de Concepción, Facultad de Agronomía, Av. Vicente Méndez 595, Chillán, Chile.*Corresponding author (gosilva@udec.cl). 2Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), km 11 Carretera Federal Cuernavaca-Cuautla, N° 8534, Col. Progreso, Jiutepec, Morelos, CP 62550, México. 3Colegio de Postgraduados, Fitosanidad-Entomología y Acarología, km 38.5 Carr. México-Texcoco, Montecillo, Estado de México, México.4Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas S/N, Ciudad Universitaria Sur, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, 39000, México. 5Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Av. Santa Rosa 11315, Santiago, Chile.