Abstract
Naturally infested paddy rice was used to compare the effectiveness of polypropylene bags and hermetic storage containers over 12 months of storage in a warehouse. Insect pest identification as well as the infestation level, percentage of damaged grain, weight loss, and moisture content were evaluated. Five insect species associated with stored rice were identified during the storage period, namely lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica), red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), rice/maize weevil (Sitophilus spp.), angoumois grain moth (Sitotroga cerealella) and flat grain beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus). The lesser grain borer was the most predominant species with an average incidence above 70% after twelve months of storage, followed by the rice/maize weevil with an incidence of 17%. When compared to hermetic storage containers, polypropylene bag showed the highest mean infestation level with 233.3 individuals/kg after six months of storage, representing about 8-fold of the number of insects recorded in hermetic containers after six months of storage. In polypropylene container, the percentage of damaged grain and weight loss increased significantly achieving a maximum of 6.98% and 5.56% respectively, whereas using hermetic containers the highest percentage of damaged grain reached was 3.24% in polyethylene drum and the weight loss was 1.62% in GrainSafe bag. The results from the study show that the use of hermetic storage containers is a green alternative for safe storage of paddy rice, for 12 months without application of pesticides, bringing multiple advantages for smallholder farmers, lever food security and income generation for smallholder farmers and rice milling companies.
Highlights
The agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by small-scale farmers producing for their subsistence, with occasional surplus sold on local markets
Five species were identified over the storage period, namely lesser grain borer (R. dominica), red flour beetle (T. castaneum), rice/maize weevil (Sitophilus spp.), angoumois grain moth (S. cerealella) and flat grain beetle [Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens)]
Hermetic and non-hermetic storage systems did not show differences in the grain moisture content, and in both systems, the moisture content remained within the recommended range for safe storage of paddy rice
Summary
The agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by small-scale farmers producing for their subsistence, with occasional surplus sold on local markets Farmers in these countries regularly store their grains in traditional polypropylene bags placed in granaries made from local material such as bamboo, straw, mud, amongst others, due to its convenience and lower cost compared to improved storage structures. For long-term storage, these facilities are not effective against the major pests of cereal crops, mainly under high temperature and relative humidity regimes, typical of tropical regions, which may shorten the insect’s life cycle, resulting in increased insect populations (Van Dyck et al, 2015; Phophi et al, 2020) To avoid losing their grain to pests on storage, farmers sell the grain just after harvest (Tefera et al, 2011a) when the market prices are low, but have to buy the grain at higher prices later when they are out of stock. A significant amount of rice grain is lost during storage, reducing the interest of this crop to smallholder farmers (Guenha et al, 2014)
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