USE OF HYBRID NANOMATERIAL IN CONTROLLED RELEASE SYSTEMS OF SEMIOCHEMICALS USED IN IPM

Abstract

The recent incentives to expand agricultural production, together with good market prospects, it is necessary to obtain new materials to help develop strategies that can be employed in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, especially in controlling of pests with great potential for devastation, such as the fruit fly pest. The present work develops new nanosilic and biomaterials adsorbent based materials capable of controlled release of semiochemicals. The synthesized materials were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TG and tested for the release of ethyl octanoate with proven efficacy. Thus, it is intended to produce a prototype of attraction and subsequent elimination of the pest, contributing to population control. Glutaraldehyde crosslinked materials had a rough surface and pore presence, probably due to the formation of covalent bonds between amino groups of the polymer chains and the aldehyde functions of the crosslinking agent. The thermogravimetric analysis evaluated the stability and thermal properties of the materials. The parameter measured by this technique was the variation of mass as a function of temperature, which allowed establishing the temperature ranges that caused the decomposition of synthesized materials. Finally, it was possible to determine the adsorption and release capacity of ethyl octanoate by mass loss. Studies in the area of alternative pest control are one of the bases for the promotion of efficient and sustainable agriculture. Thus, important results were achieved regarding the characterization of synthesized materials, where they presented a good adsorption capacity and subsequent release of the tested compound. This makes it possible to develop a prototype for controlled release of semiochemicals, such as ethyl octanoate, for use in field traps, thus aiming to reduce population and reduce costs involved in IPM programs.