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Kaolin spray is a
Kaolin spray is a pest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...
that has kaolin
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
as the main ingredient. The practice has been in recorded use from 2000 B.C.E. in China. More recent studies have shown that kaolin sprays can promote photosynthesis and are effective in reducing insects and disease on plants.
Description
Kaolin is a rock rich with the clay mineral kaolintite. Kaolin spray is apest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...
that has kaolin
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
as the main ingredient.
History
In nature, many animal species commonly take " dust baths" to rid themselves ofinsect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...
parasites and prevent attacks from biting insects. In 2000 B.C.E., ancient records in China describe the application of mineral-based dusts (e.g., diatomaceous earth) to plants to control insects. Since that time, there is a long history on the use of various mineral-based preparations and some of these are still used for special purposes in agricultural pest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...
.
More recently, kaolin mixed with spreaders and stickers and applied to plants as a spray at 1–6% concentration in water form has been shown to be an effective approach to agricultural pest control and to protect plants from environmental stresses
Stress, either physiological, biological or psychological, is an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is the body's method of reacting to a condition such as a threat, challenge or physical and psycholog ...
. Kaolin-based sprays have been studied extensively since 1999 and research has established that these sprays deposit a "particle film" that has numerous beneficial effects on plants and in insect pest control. Certain kaolin-based sprays can form a highly reflective white film over plant surfaces that is known to enhance plant photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...
and reduce heat stress in plants, which they do by reflecting the infra-red light
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
spectrum, which in the end improves plant yields and fruit quality in orchards. The kaolin barrier created by the particle film also protects the treated plant surfaces from diseases, and insects.Puterka, G. J., D. M. Glenn, and R. Pluta. Action of particle films on the biology and behavior of pear psylla (Psyllidae: Homoptera). J. Econ. Entomol. 98: 2079-2088. 2005.
Kaolin sprays are used for pest control and sunburn protection in both conventional and organic food production in the United States and abroad. Commercial forms of kaolin-based particle films are currently used in the western United States to control pear pests and to protect apples from sunburn damage. Kaolin sprays are also used internationally for specific insect pests and sunburn problems in apples, pear, citrus, pomegranates, and vegetables. Kaolin is generally regarded as safe to humans and has long history of use in the paint, plastics, pharmaceutical, and paper industry.
See also
*Medicinal clay
The use of medicinal clay in folk medicine goes back to prehistoric times. Indigenous peoples around the world still use clay widely, which is related to geophagy. The first recorded use of medicinal clay goes back to ancient Mesopotamia.
A wi ...
* Mechanical pest control
References
{{reflist, 30em Pest control techniques