Silica nanoparticles as pesticide against insects of different feeding types and their non-target attraction of predators.

ABSTRACT: The agricultural use of silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) has the potential to control insect pests while the safety and tritrophic effects on plants and beneficial natural enemies remains unknown. Here, we evaluate the effects of silica NPs on insect pests with different feeding niches, natural enemies, and a plant. Silica NPs were applied at different concentrations (75-425 mg/L) on field-cultivated faba bean and soybean for two growing seasons. The faba bean pests, the cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora and the American serpentine leafminer Liriomyza trifolii, and the soybean pest, the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis, were monitored along with their associated predators. Additional laboratory experiments were performed to test the effects of silica NPs on the growth of faba

SUBMITTER: Thabet AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8280210 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature