Archives of Current Research International

Nanotechnology offers promising tools for sustainable agriculture; however, the ecological safety of nanomaterials toward beneficial insects must be evaluated before their large-scale use. The present study assessed the non-target effects of boehmite nanopowder on the egg parasitoid Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead, an important biological control agent widely used against lepidopteran pests. UV-sterilized eggs of Corcyra cephalonica were treated with boehmite nanopowder at 0.2 mg per egg card and evaluated using Y-tube dual-choice, eight-arm multiple-choice, and no-choice olfactometer assays under controlled laboratory conditions (27 ± 1 °C and 70 ± 10% RH). Approximately 100 two-day-old adult parasitoids were released in each replication, and parasitization was assessed after five days based on the characteristic blackening of host eggs. In the Y-tube assay, mean parasitization was 63.37 ± 10.67% in the treated group and 60.80 ± 10.86% in the control. In the eight-arm assay, parasitization was 59.99 ± 10.34% and 56.27 ± 11.63%, respectively. In the no-choice assay, parasitization was 74.72 ± 9.13% in the treated group and 74.54 ± 7.40% in the control. Unpaired Student’s t-tests showed no significant differences between treated and control groups in any assay (P > 0.05). The results demonstrate that boehmite nanopowder does not adversely affect host orientation, host recognition, or parasitization efficiency of T. japonicum. These findings indicate that boehmite nanopowder is biologically compatible with this beneficial parasitoid and has potential for safe use in controlled-release agricultural formulations and sustainable pest management programs.