Fumigant toxicity of essential oils and their combinations on population buildup of three stored product coleoptera in stored wheat and effect on quality of wheat

Abstract

Experiments carried out to find the fumigant toxicity of three essential oils and their combinations from Murraya koenigii, Citrus reticulata, Curcuma longa on population buildup of Sitophilus oryzae, Rhyzopertha dominica, Tribolium castaneum in stored wheat at different days of infestation. The oil of M. koenigii, C. reticulata at 0.2% and M. koenigii+C. reticulata, M. koenigii+C. longa at 0.1% each were found highly effective against S. oryzae fumigated after 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. The oil of M. koenigii and C. reticulata at 0.2% M. koenigii+C. reticulata, M. koenigii+C. longa, C. reticulata+C. longa at 0.1% each and M. koenigii+C. reticulata+C. longa at 0.07% each were found highly effective against R. dominica fumigated after 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. Only M. koenigii at 0.2% was found highly effective against T. castaneum fumigated after 5, 10, 15 and 20 day. The fumigation of grain with M. koenigii at 0.2% completely suppress the infestation and weight loss when it was fumigated after 5, 10, 15 and 20 days while very low infestation and weight loss was observed in grain treated with M. koenigii +C. reticulata at 0.1% each and not affect the organoleptic properties and germination of wheat.