Suitability of Sand Layer Technology for the Management of Callosobruchus chinensis L. on Stored Chickpea

Author: Ranjitha M.R., Ram Singh Umrao, Revanasidda and Ankit Upadhyay

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Abstract

Pulses are a crucial crop for human nutrition since the seeds have increased protein content. India is the world's largest producer of pulses, with the chickpea being one of the most important. The major biotic factors are pulse beetles, and Callosobruchus chinensis L. is one of them that causes severe infestations and losses in stored chickpea. For small and subsistence farmers, the available modern management alternatives, such as the use of pesticides and irradiation, were neither cost-effective nor safe. Thus, the current study was carried out to assess sand layer technology as a reliable and cost-effective option for the management of C. chinensis. The experiment involved covering chickpea grains with thin layers of sand to determine the ideal sand thickness for safe storage of chickpea for six months. It found that treatments with no sand layer and then treatments with 0.5 cm sand layer recorded the highest levels of infestation parameters. The most effective treatment was to cover chickpea grains with 1.5 cm sand layer, which significantly reduced the infestation parameters on pre-infested chickpea grains. This was attributed to the absence of open area for beetles to breed on the grain surface as well as the absence of inter-grain space, which was covered in fine sand which may interrupted the female beetles to lay eggs. Therefore, this technique would serve as an economical and eco-friendly method for storing chickpeas on a small scale or household levels.

Keywords

Chickpea, Sand layer, Pulse beetle, C. chinensis, Management

Conclusion

Present findings clearly suggests that creation of 1.5 cm thick sand layer on chickpea grain surface provides protection against pulse beetle for over six months. It is the effective method in case of small scale/ household level/ farm level storage and also it is an eco-friendly and economically feasible option. To conclude, the above effective treatment can be used as an alternate options to the chemical options for management of bruchids in small scale storage thereby helping famers or household level grain storages to address the issues of economic feasibility management option overcoming health and environmental concerns.

References

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How to cite this article

Ranjitha M.R., Ram Singh Umrao, Revanasidda and Ankit Upadhyay (2023). Suitability of Sand Layer Technology for the Management of Callosobruchus chinensis L. on Stored Chickpea. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(4): 273-278.