INSECTICIDAL EFFICACY OF DIATOMACEOUS EARTH ON LARVAE OF AGRIOTES LINEATUS (COLEOPTERA; ELATERIDAE), POTATO PESTS IN TISSEMSILT, ALGERIA

In order to evaluate the diatomaceous earth (DE) toxicity on the Agriotes larva Agriotes lineatus, concentration of 0.1mg/cm2; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6; 0.8 and 1 mg/cm2 of DE were directly used in the powder form. Insects were exposed to diatomaceous earth through filter paper placed on Petri dishes at a temperature of 24°±2°C. An amount of 0.2086 of CL50 and 0.2192 mg/cm2 of CL90 were determined. The mortality tests showed that there is a strong correlation between the concentration increase and time increasing. The results showed that the diatomaceous earth can be used as an efficient larvicide against agriotes, known by their deleterious effects on different cultures.