EFFICIENCY OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC PESTICIDES AGAINST STORED GRAIN INSECT PESTS

Abstract

The insect pests cause substantial loss of grains in the field and during storage of food grains that worth millions of rupees. Hence, in order to manage stored grain insect pests a combination of organic and inorganic pesticide control materials was selected to check the efficiency against red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis). Total 10 treatments were used, eight different organic bio-pesticides (neem seed, neem leaves, naswar, tobacco, eucalyptus, citrus, dhatura and mint) and one inorganic (naphthalene balls) and control used at 32 ± 2°C and 70 ± 5% RH. The results indicated that three doses of all treatments were used as 5, 10 and 20gm in 50gm grains. Overall, maximum (4.33 ± 1.00%) mortality of red flour beetle was observed using neem seed powder and no (0.0 0 ± 00%) mortality was observed in minte leaves powder. In case of pulse beetle, the maximum (5.07 ± 0.87%) mortality was observed using neem seed powder and minimum (0.66±0.22%) using citrus leaves powder. Maximum (16.26 ± 0.03) antifeedant efficiency of red flour beetle was observed in control group and minimum (6.46±0.65) antifeedant efficiency of red flour beetle was found in dhatura leaves powder at all tested concentrations. Maximum (14.23 ± 0.13) antifeedant efficiency of pulse beetle was determined in control group and and minimum (1.00 ± 0.04) was observed for naphthalene balls at all tested concentrations. Maximum (94.67%) repellency against red flour beetle was observed using neem seed powder and minimum (62.00%) was found in naphathalene balls as compared with their controls. Maximum (81.32%) repellency against pulse beetle was observed using naswar powder and minimum (63.34%) repellency was determined using neem leaves powder as compared with their control group. We concluded that 20% of neem seed powder concentration proved effective to suppress the population of both red flour beetle and pulse beetle.