Screening of Diatomaceous Earth Against Lesser Grain Borer (Rhyzopertha dominica Fab.)

Author: Amit Shekhar, Ranjeet Kumar and M. Raghuraman

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Abstract

On an average 10% overall losses of food commodities caused by stored grain insect pests. The storage commodities of agriculture and horticulture are infested by several species of pests worldwide. For management of such huge number of stored grain insect pests only old age traditional chemical fumigants e.g., Aluminium phosphide are used throughout the world. Chemical fumigants are not only contaminating the food commodities but also lead to serious health risk and environmental pollution in addition to development of resistance in insect. The Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), is a severe pest of raw materials that are kept in storage all over the world. It often infests grain in warehouses. Typically, the grain infestation starts at the top and moves downward. Because the majority of its life cycle spent inside the grain kernel, control of the pest is difficult. The first instar larva chews its way inside the grain kernels where it feeds after laying eggs externally on the grain. After the grub is fully grown, it drills a sizable hole to escape. While grading and marketing grain, this exit hole is typically a sign of an insect-damaged kernel (IDK), which is frequently taken into consideration. Organic or eco-friendly management are not available to manage this pest in storage. Taking all these measures an experiment were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Diatomaceous Earth in reducing adult emergence. Results shows that all the treatments were effective against lesser grain borer particularly 1.00 and 1.25 & 1.5 g DE/kg of seed.

Keywords

Stored grain insect pest, Aluminium phosphide, Rhyzopertha dominica, Diatomaceous Earth

Conclusion

The above experiment tends to find out an alternative of the chemical pesticide against lesser grain borer in storage. Chemical pesticides are not only harmful for human health but also harmful for environment. Diatomaceous earth used in this experiment is of food grade which is safe for human beings. Above results shows that diatomaceous earth can effectively inhibit the feeding and breeding of the test insect and can be used in managing the pests. This indicates that we can use diatomaceous earth instead of chemical fumigant for better management of grains in storage. This also advocates that prior treatment of grains can yield effective results. Farmers can also use diatomaceous earth during storage of grains instead of harmful chemicals. Food Corporation of India, Central Warehousing Corporation and State Warehousing Corporation can also use this diatomaceous earth for managing the pest during bulk storage of grains.

References

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How to cite this article

Amit Shekhar, Ranjeet Kumar and M. Raghuraman (2023). Screening of Diatomaceous Earth Against Lesser Grain Borer (Rhyzopertha dominica Fab.). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(2): 1259-1261.