Effects of garlic emulsion and low temperature in control of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Col.: Tenebrionidae)

Protecting stored products from pest’s attacks has been often as one of the most important concerns of human societies. Regarding adverse effects of chemical insecticides, main priority in management programs of stored product pests is to find safe alternatives. In the present study, insecticide effects of garlic emulsion (Sirinol®) and low temperatures of 0 and 2 °C in the independent and integrated assays on the adult stage of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) was evaluated. A completely randomized design was conducted to accomplish the experiments at 27±1 °C, R.H. of 65±5%, and darkness. Based on the results obtained from probit analyses, the LC50 values for Sirinol® on T. castaneum after 24, 48, and 72 h. were estimated as 71.61, 66.96, and 61.20 μl/l, respectively. The time required for temperatures of 0 and 2 °C to kill 50% of T. castaneum (LT50) were calculated as 82.17 and 107.15 h., respectively. In integrated assays, mortality of T. castaneum in two conditions of using LC50 of Sirinol® and exposure to low temperature of 0 °C for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. and exposure to 0 °C for 82 h. and treatment with concentrations 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 μl/l of Sirinol®, were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that both garlic emulsion and low temperature caused considerable mortality in population of T. castaneum. Furthermore, integrated treatments had also reliable effects on this pest. The findings of present study could be so helpful for reducing adverse effects of chemical pesticides in the integrated management of red flour beetle.