Development of modified release systems based on zein and chitosan for botanical repellents aiming the control of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in different cultures

Abstract

Pests and insects, have been a major cause of crop losses worldwide. Only in Brazil these losses may reach 7.7% per year. Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a major pest present in Brazil, being found in many regions. The major concern with this type of pest, is the vast diversity of hosts, which may lead to losses of 100% capacity due to transmission of plant pathogens. The use of synthetic insecticides has been the main way to control this type of pest, however, the adverse effects of these compounds to both the environment and for human health effects has motivated the search for a less impactant alternative. In this context, various mechanisms have been studied to minimize this damage, such as the development of modified release systems using biodegradable polymers and proteins. Allied to this, the use of botanical insecticides and repellents has also demonstrated potential to combat these pests, due to lower impacts of these natural products. Therefore, this project aims at developing (preparation and characterization) of nanocarriers systems produced from polymers chitosan and zein protein for botanical repellents (geraniol and citronellal), as well as the effects phytotoxic and citotoxic these systems. The project also aims to incorporate these systems into arrays of cross-linked gels, in order to produce devices for release of these compounds in the field. In addition, will be performed tests of repellent activity of these systems and devices against whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in different cultures:Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max). The importance of this project lies in the dimension of agricultural sector for the Brazilian and world economy, allied to this the market agrochemicals is growing annually, with Brazil being one of the leaders in the consumption of these products. Therefore, the development of high technology to the area of pest control in agriculture is promising since it can be made more efficient systems to control pests, less impacting to the environment and consequently to human health.