Abstract
The augmented losses occur during the storage of grains but details on such information is minimum under Sri Lankan conditions. Unawareness of relevant and updated information on these losses prevents the adoption of appropriate remedial measures for the protection of these stored grains. Therefore, the current study was conducted in Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka to determine the types of household-level storage structures/places used, grain losses occurred in those structures/places and nature of insect infestation of stored paddy, maize and mungbean. A questionnaire survey was conducted throughout Anuradhapura district using farmer families. Four main structures/places used in grain storage in different divisional secretariats were identified. The storage structures/places used from the highest to lowest frequency were room inside house, kitchen, room outside the house and temporary hut. Sitophilus oryzae was the most abundant stored pest followed by Sitotroga cerealella, Tribolium castaneum and Rhyzopertha dominica. The structures/places of grain storage and abundance of insect species were different among divisional secretariats. This study discloses the structures/places of grain storage, their frequency of use as well as the main insect species responsible for grain losses in the Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka.
Highlights
The food losses occurred due to the damage caused by insects during storage are quite high and of numerous types (Wijayaratne et al 2018)
Among the variety of losses caused by insects during storage, the damage occurred in cereal grains, pulses and their processed products is of great importance due to their increased role in human and animal nutrition (Hagstrum and Subramanyam 2006; Wijerathne et al 2020)
Four main types of small-scale/farmer-level storage structures/places used in paddy storage were found in different DS divisions in Anuradhapura district
Summary
The food losses occurred due to the damage caused by insects during storage are quite high and of numerous types (Wijayaratne et al 2018). The quantitative and qualitative damage to the stored grains by insects include loss of weight, nutrients and seed viability; contamination with live/dead insects, their body parts and excreta; webbing of grains; health risks on consumers (Hill 1990) including allergenic reactions (Larson et al 2008a,b). These reduce the market value of stored grains and cause economic losses (Hagstrum and Subramanyam 2006). In Sri Lanka, total paddy production in the Yala season 2019 was 1,519,475 MT.
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