Abstract
The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbts) is a major pest of flour from various grains. The infested flour is discoloured and will emit a disagreeable odour due to the secretion of benzoquinone from the insect’s abdominal glands. Considering the economic losses effected by T. castaneum, new alternative control measures are needed for this pest. This study sought to determine the host preferences of T. castaneum from amongst six kinds of flour to assess their vulnerability to infestation. The research was conducted in the Plant Pest Laboratory, Department of Plant Pests and Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya. The host preferences of T. castaneum were examined using a six-arm olfactometer. Feeding preference tests were performed for a duration of 12 hours at 200 ml/minute airflow in each chamber-arm, followed by oviposition preference observations one week later. Feeding preference was calculated for the total pool of adults observed, segregated by sex, whereas oviposition preference was calculated as the number of eggs laid. Flour nutrition (proximate composition, phenolic content, and riboflavin content) were analyzed. Our results showed a feeding preference by T. castaneum for bran, soy and tapioca flour was greater over wheat, corn, and white gelatinous rice flour, while for oviposition, bran flour was the most preferred.
Highlights
Processed products, including flour, are vulnerable to pest infestation during storage
Considering the damage caused by T. castaneum on various kinds of flour, this study aimed to determine the relative preference of T. castaneum for wheat flour, tapioca flour, corn flour, white gelatinous rice flour, soy flour, and bran flour
Feeding preference Feeding preference is reflected by the mean number of T. castaneum individuals attracted to each type of test flour during the feeding test
Summary
Processed products, including flour, are vulnerable to pest infestation during storage. Flour is a prominent food source and animal feedstock in Indonesia, deriving from plant ingredients. The primary flour pest in the worldwide is the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum (Herbts)) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) (Emery & Nayak 2007). The red flour beetle or T. castaneum attacks various stored products, especially broken grain and processed products (Astuti et al 2020). Red flour beetles prefer food sources high in B vitamin content. The infestation of stored products by T. castaneum during storage directly impacts product quantity and quality. Product losses caused by T. castaneum infestation may reach as high as approximately 34–40% (Ajayi & Rahman 2006)
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