New 4,000 year pesticide

2001/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Nekazaritza

The Greenwich University Institute of Natural Resources has used diatomaceous land to prepare pesticides that protect stored insect crops. It is believed that this technique was used by the Chinese of 4,000 years ago. To carry out the research, the stone has been sprayed and mixed with cell culture grains and, in the trials carried out in Zinbaw, the crops have been saved more than 8 months except for insect attacks.

They have shown that the land of diatoms is as efficient as conventional pesticides, but it has a great advantage: it is not toxic to man or other mammals. The earth of diatoms absorbs the wax layer of the outer skeleton of insects and the insect dehydrates and dies. The land of diatoms is a limestone from phytoplankton, quite common in most of the world. Therefore, we would have a natural, efficient and economical pesticide.