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The use of conventional pesticides becomes a complicated issue as more species of insect pests become resistant to them. Nanopesticides suit new approaches in pest control. Herein, we tested the toxicological efficacy of imidacloprid compared with three of its nanoformulations (IMD01, IMD02, and IMD03) on second and fourth instar of Culex pipiens larvae. Furthermore, we assessed the synergistic actions of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on imidacloprid and its nanoformulations against second and fourth instar of C. pipiens. The nanoformulation (IMD03) was the most potent insecticide (LC50 = 14, 6, and 2 ng/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure, respectively), whereas the lowest toxic nanoformulation was IMD01. However, imidacloprid had the lowest toxicity among the tested compounds (LC50 = 1015, 705, and 621 ng/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure, respectively). PBO significantly synergized imidacloprid and its nanoformulations. However, the most synergistic effects were on IMD03 and the lowest was imidacloprid itself. Based on our results, nanopesticides are currently the most promising tool to control C. pipiens mosquitoes. However, further semifield and field studies should be done to illustrate the efficacy of imidacloprid and its nanoformulations on C. pipiens mosquitoes.

The use of conventional pesticides becomes a complicated issue as more species of insect pests become resistant to them. Nanopesticides suit new approaches in pest control. Herein, we tested the toxicological efficacy of imidacloprid compared with three of its nanoformulations (IMD01, IMD02, and IMD03) on second and fourth instar of Culex pipiens larvae. Furthermore, we assessed the synergistic actions of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on imidacloprid and its nanoformulations against second and fourth instar of C. pipiens. The nanoformulation (IMD03) was the most potent insecticide (LC50 = 14, 6, and 2 ng/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure, respectively), whereas the lowest toxic nanoformulation was IMD01. However, imidacloprid had the lowest toxicity among the tested compounds (LC50 = 1015, 705, and 621 ng/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure, respectively). PBO significantly synergized imidacloprid and its nanoformulations. However, the most synergistic effects were on IMD03 and the lowest was imidacloprid itself. Based on our results, nanopesticides are currently the most promising tool to control C. pipiens mosquitoes. However, further semifield and field studies should be done to illustrate the efficacy of imidacloprid and its nanoformulations on C. pipiens mosquitoes.

Intensive silvopastoral system (ISS) is a successful sustainable grazing system for dual-purpose cattle with growing adoption in the tropics; however, there is a concern on the quality of dairy products from this system. The aim of this study was to compare the ISS with the traditional monoculture system (MS) in terms of milk composition, soft cheese composition and yield, and the sensory acceptability of cheese during two seasons of a tropical area in Mexico. Twenty-four cows at the first 3 months postpartum were allocated evenly to two groups. The cows in ISS grazed in paddocks of Leucaena leucocephala associated with Cynodon nlemfuensis whereas the cows in MS grazed in C. nlemfuensis. Milk samples were collected weekly during the rainy and dry seasons for chemical analysis and fresh soft cheese making. The cheese was analyzed chemically, and cheese acceptability was evaluated for the sensory attributes of appearance, texture, flavor, color, and overall acceptability. Milk percentages of fat, protein, SNF, and lactose did not differ significantly between systems being, 3.5, 3.0, 8.1, and 4.4 in ISS and 3.6, 2.9, 8.0, and 4.4 in MS, respectively. Similar results were obtained for cheese content of fat/DM and protein/DM. In the rainy season, adjusted cheese yield from ISS (24.2%) was higher compared with MS (20.8%). Cheese texture in the dry season showed more acceptability for ISS. This study provide absence of adverse effect of ISS on milk and cheese composition; moreover, ISS improve the yield and acceptability of soft cheese.