Tribolium Casteneum Research Articles

Study on the Correlation of Insect Pest Infestation of Guinea Corn (Sorghum bicolor) Stored in Kasarawa and Kuffa Food Ware-Houses in Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Farming of Guinea corn in Sokoto is face with a lot of Crop protection problems which prevent full scale production of this crop in the state and Nigeria at large. A study was conducted to assess the correlation of insect pest infestation of Guinea corn stored in Kasarawa and Kuffa Food Ware-houses in Sokoto Metropolis Sokoto State-Nigeria. A total of Two Hundred and Fourty (240) grain samples were collected and examined for insect pest infestation using compound microscope and the result was analyzed using Chi-square statistical tool. The result of this study showed that 172/240 (71.67%) were positive for insect pest infestation. There were significance difference between the infestation and nature of the food ware-house (P<0.05). The result of infestation in relation to the location were the samples are collected from the food ware-houses shows that, top location 71/80 (88.75%) has the highest rate of the Infestation, followed by the middle location 53/80 (66.25%) and the least Infestation was recorded in the bottom location of the food ware-houses 30/80 (37.50%). There is also a significance difference between the infestation and locations where the samples are collected from the food ware-house (P<0.05). Of the two species identified, Tribolium confusum is found in all the three food ware-houses with the frequency of 0.7 and 0.6 respectively while Tribolium casteneum was found only in Kuffa/Old Kara food ware-house with the frequency of 0.2. This may be related to the nature of food ware-houses. Used of resistance varieties, Improve sanitation, proper maintenance and fumigation of the food ware-house in and out during storage and while receiving new produce will help to reduce the rate of insect pest infestation in the study area, Sokoto State and Nigeria at large.

Study on Insect Pest Infestation of Guinea Corn (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Stored in Food Ware-Houses, Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Insect pest infestation is still considered a major agricultural problem affecting millions of farmers in developing countries causing a huge loss and damage tons of agricultural products. A study was conducted to assess the rate of insect pest infestation of Guinea corn Stored in Food Ware-houses in Sokoto Metropolis Sokoto State-Nigeria. A total of three hundred and sixty (360) grain samples were examined for the infestation using compound light microscope and the result was analyzed using chi-square statistical test. The result of this study showed that 222/360 (61.67%) were positive for the infestation. There were significance difference between the infestation and nature of the food ware-house (P<0.05). The result of infestation in relation to the location were the samples are collected from the food ware-houses shows that, top location 106/120 (83.33%) has the highest rate of the Infestation, followed by the middle location 72/120 (60.00%) and the least Infestation was recorded in the bottom location of the food ware-houses 50/120 (41.67%). There is also a significance difference between the infestation and locations were the samples are collected from the food ware-house (P<0.05). Of the two species identified, Tribolium confusum is found in all the three food ware-houses with the frequency of 0.7, 0.6 and 0.4 respectively while Tribolium casteneum was found only in Kuffa/Old kara food ware-house with the frequency of 0.2. This may be related to the nature of food ware-houses. Improving sanitation, proper maintenance and fumigation of the food ware-house in and out during storage and while receiving new produce will help to reduce the rate of insect pest infestation in the study area, Sokoto State and Nigeria at large.

Diversity and Abundance of Associated Insect Pests in Stored Dry Cocoa Beans of Southwest Nigeria

Cocoa bean is a vital raw material in the production of beverage, animal feed, medicines and cosmetics which had played significant importance in Nigerian revenue prior to oil discovery. Its production has declined due to a number of factors among which are quantitative and qualitative losses by insect pests. Diverse species of insects attack dry cocoa beans in store and their pest status needs to be determined for effective control. This study examined diversity and abundance of emerging insect pests from collected cocoa samples in locations from Southwestern Nigeria. Four cocoa producing states namely Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Oyo were chosen for this study. Four towns/villages were selected in each state from where1kg of dry cocoa beans each was collected from four cocoa stores/warehouses and bulked to represent the town/village. 750g of the beans was weighed in improvised culture cage in four replicates for each location. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design at the Entomology laboratory of CRIN, Ibadan. Emerging insect species were counted, identified and added at thirty days interval for 120days. Ephestia cautella and Corcyra cephalonica were more abundant in all locations than populations of Plodia intepuctuella, Araecerus fasciculatus and Tribolium casteneum.

The population of red flour beetle (Tribolium casteneum) imago and crude protein of rice bran with an addition of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) flour

Rice bran is an agricultural waste that is widely used as animal feed because it is cheap and easy to obtain. The main obstacle to using rice bran is the damage during storage, especially its protein content due to the presence and growth of insects such as the Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum). Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a plant often used as a natural insecticide. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of Lemongrass to inhibit the growth of the Red Flour Beetle and maintain protein content in rice bran during storage. This study was performed according to a completely randomized design with five treatments and four replications. Treatments consisted of P0: rice bran, P1: rice bran infected with a beetle, P2: rice bran infected with beetle + 1% lemongrass flour, P3: rice bran infected with beetle + 2% lemongrass flour, and P4: rice bran infected with beetle + 3% lemongrass flour. The results showed that the use of Lemongrass flour (Cymbopogon citratus) had a significant effect (P<0.05) on lowering the population of Tribolium casteneum imago, while crude protein content had no significant effect. From this study, it can be concluded that the addition of lemongrass flour can reduce the population of Tribolium caestaneum and maintain the crude protein content of rice bran during storage.

Bioactivity and efficacy of essential oils extracted from Artemisia annua against Tribolium casteneum (Herbst. 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): An eco-friendly approach.

Tribolium casteneum is a major stored grains pest causing huge loss by secreting toxic quinones' which make the grains unfit for human consumption. Increasing concern about the fast-growing resistance in T. casteneum against fumigants has evoked more intense research worldwide. Therefore, finding an eco-friendly alternative for the management of the pest is of great importance. In this study, the insecticidal activity of the essential oils (EOs) of Artemisia annua is evaluated. Chemical composition of the EOs eluted with methanol and petroleum ether was analysed through Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The result has reported a total of 13 & 16 compounds in the methanol and petroleum ether EOs respectively. In contact toxicity studies, adults were found more susceptible to the petroleum ether EOs (LD50=0.43mg adult-1) than the methanolic EOs (LD50=1.87mg adult-1). Petroleum ether EOs was also superior in fumigant assays against both the adults (0.81mgL air-1) and larvae (0.65mgL air-1). Moreover, the same was also recorded as a strong repellent. The bio-molecular studies conducted to gain an insight into the extent of metabolic disturbances inflicted in the treatment sets has shown a significant increase in Lipid peroxidase and decrease (p˂0.01) in protein, Acetylcholinesterase, Glutathione S Transferees, Reduced Glutathione level. This indicates the major signs of oxidative stress in the treatment sets. The Results ascertain the knowledge to develop natural insecticides from Artemisia annua using a potential solvent to be used in the future as an efficient management tool against T. casteneum.

Evaluation of insecticidal activity of Ni (II) Cystine against the red flour beetle (Tribolium casteneum)

Evaluation of insecticidal activity of Ni (II) Cystine against the red flour beetle (Tribolium casteneum)

Varietal susceptibility on maize varieties against flour beetles (Tribolium casteneum and Tribolium confusum)

Abstract Maize is commonly known as “C4”and photosynthetic plant. The maize is rich in nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and fats etc. During research study, it was found that flour beetles including (Tribolium casteneum and Tribolium confusum); both species were causing economic losses on quality and quantity of maize varieties in many areas of Hyderabad, Sindh (Pakistan). Therefore, the experimental study was carried out on susceptibility of maize varieties. Experiments were conducted during the months of Sep 2015 to Aug 2016. During laboratory experiments, the 100g of each variety were put in four jars of 150g capacity then ten pairs of both flour beetles introduced in each jar. The culture of both flour beetles was maintained under ambient conditions, 31±2°C, 27±5°C, 65±5; 78±3% relative humidity and photoperiod with 10 hour light and dark cycle. The percentage of weight loss was taken as criteria for observation of susceptibility on maize varieties against the flour beetles. During this observation; it was found that maximum weight loss occurred on Neelum while minimum on Popcorn variety, 64.87g and 5.12g respectively. The more susceptibility of Neelum variety was due to softness, seed thickness, seed size and coloration. Statistically, it was proved that consumption on Neelum variety due to both flour beetles have strong positive Pearson correlation with survival of flour beetles under ambient conditions whereas on Popcorn variety consumption had no Pearson correlation with survival of flour beetles. The values are being r= .834(**) and (a) respectively. Keywords: Flour beetles; Maize varieties; Susceptible variety; Weight loss http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2018.700189

Antifeedant activity of Vernonia oocephala against stored product pest Tribolium casteneum (Herbst)

In recent years botanical antifeedants have received increasing attention in developing countries due to continued damaging of grains associated to post harvest insect pest. To develop a sustainable management of post harvest pest using local plant resources in Nigeria, Vernonia oocephala ethanol extract, chloroform and petroleum ether fractions were subjected to antifeedant activity against the stored product pest (in maize and maize flour products) Tribolium casteneum (Herbst). Wheat wafer disc technique was used in the experiment. The feeding deterrence expressed as Feeding inhibition rate [FI] (%), indicates that ethanol extract was most potent against the insect with a range of 54±1.43 to 86±1.2% and moderate activity of 50±1.11 to 70±3.12% was observed in the chloroform fraction. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, glycoside, saponins, steroids and triterpenes, cardiac glycoside and tannins in addition; sesquiterpene lactones were identified from chloroform fraction. These findings indicate the potential utility of extracts and fraction of Vernonia oocephala for developing active botanical pesticides against the pest Tribolium casteneum DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v49i4.22627 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 49(4), 243-248, 2014

Biotoxicity assay of Bacillus thuringiensis (spores) against Tribolium castaneum

Bacillus thuringiensis spore forming, gram positive aerobic bacteria whose spores consist of the crystal proteins, are found to have the insecticidal activity to the specific insect orders. B. thuringiensis are considered to be cosmopolitan in nature and a great difference occurs between the two strains from different habitat. The present study was conducted on the collection of samples and isolation of the B. thuringiensis from different samples. These isolates were identified on the basis of microscopic and staining techniques. Culturing of these isolates was made on the specific media such as T3. Culturing of these bacteria was done to get enough amount of the B. thuringiensis spore cell. Rearing of the Tribolium castaneum a flour beetle was done by understanding the physiology of the beetles. Then biotoxic effect of these bacteria was determined by the process of Biotoxicity assay of the B. thuringiensis spores against T. castaneum in glass vials in triplicates. The seven day repeated observation of these isolates was presented in the tabular form and LC50 was calculated by the Probit analysis programme. LC50 vary from isolate to isolate for the insect under consideration, giving different mortality rates. Key words: Bacillus thuringiensis, Tribolium casteneum, Biotoxicity, assays, spore.

Insect Transgenesis: Current Applications and Future Prospects

The ability to manipulate the genomes of many insects has become a practical reality over the past 15 years. This has been led by the identification of several useful transposon vector systems that have allowed the identification and development of generalized, species-specific, and tissue-specific promoter systems for controlled expression of gene products upon introduction into insect genomes. Armed with these capabilities, researchers have made significant strides in both fundamental and applied transgenics in key model systems such as Bombyx mori, Tribolium casteneum, Aedes aegypti, and Anopheles stephensi. Limitations of transposon systems were identified, and alternative tools were developed, thus significantly increasing the potential for applied transgenics for control of both agricultural and medical insect pests. The next 10 years promise to be an exciting time of transitioning from the laboratory to the field, from basic research to applied control, during which the full potential of gene manipulation in insect systems will ultimately be realized.

Evaluation of Catmint Oil and Hydrogenated Catmint Oil as Repellents for the Flour Beetles,Tribolium castaneumandTribolium confusum

Catmint oil and hydrogenated catmint oil were evaluated as repellents for adult Tribolium casteneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), the red flour beetle, and T. confusum (DuVal), the confused flour beetle, using both a traditional method of visual assessment of distribution and a video recording method to determine movement patterns of individual insects. Visual assessments of distribution using groups of adults showed that the hydrogenated catmint oil was more effective than the pure catmint oil, but there was no significant difference between species. However, when repellency was measured using single insects and the visual recording system, both oils were significantly more repellent to T. castaneum than T. confusum at the concentrations evaluated in the study. Avoidance movement and change in direction when T. castaneum encountered the repellent were observed. Results indicate that repellents may be more accurately assessed using single insects rather than groups of individuals, and simple visual observations of distribution may be less sensitive in measuring repellent efficacy. Procedures for utilizing a video system are described as models for future evaluations of repellents for stored-product beetles.

Discovery of a novel crystal protein from Pakistani Bacillus thuringiensis strain toxic to Tribolium casteneum (Hebst) (coleoptera: tenebrionidae)

The biotoxicity analysis of crystal protein of some Bacillus thuringiensis strains has been carried out against the larvae of red flour beetle Tribolium casteneum Hebst. Seven isolates were found highly active against T. casteneum. The most toxic isolate SG31.11 has calculated LC50 value of 0.2 ug/mg of artificial diet. Presently, the active protein of isolate SG31.11 was sequenced and data showed that it resembles with a novel Cry3 protein.

Effect of a number of plant extracts in the life of beetle Tribolium casteneum (Herbst) and flour Trogoderma granarium (Everts).

The effects of six aqueous plant extracts ( Capparis spinosa L., leaves; Olea europea L., leaves; Dianthus chinensis, flowers; Mentha longifolia L., leaves and Melia azedarach, leaves and ripe fruits) were studied on a number of biological aspects of Rusty flour beetle Tribolium casteneum (Herbst.) & Khapra beetle Trogoderma granarium (Everts) . Seven concentrations(%0.5 d.O d.5 ,2.5 ,5 ,7.5 dO)were used for each extract. Different effects on the larval longevity have been seen when using different extracts, concentrations and insects species .This study revealed that the extracts have significant affects on the number of larval instars. Some of them increased the number of moulting significantly as compared with that of control, moulting inhibition factor, therefore, appeared negative in khapra beetle larvaeTrogoderma granarium; whereas it was positive in most larval stages of rusty flour beetle Tribolium casteneum.Larvae of rusty-red flour beetle failed to change to pupae stages, thus it remained under the exuvia and died. Also, khapra beetle larvae treated with (M azedarach) leaves and fruits extracts could not change to pupae.Development duration was extended in most khapra beetle treatments due to the increasing of the larval longevity. Treating khapra beetle larvae with plant extracts increased the weight of pupae as compared to controls.Sexual ratio was almost 1: 1 in all treatments.

Effect of storage on dehydrated African breadfruit seeds (Treculia africana Decne)

Dehydrated seeds of African breadfruit (12.97% moisture content) were packaged in commonly used storage containers - plastic buckets (air-tight), woven polyliene bags, jute bags and covered raffia baskets. Controls were left open in a raffia basket. The seeds were stored under ambient room conditions (mean temperature 28.07 °C; relative humidity (rh) 80.30%) for 6 months to determine seed durability for better understanding and handling. The mean moisture content, crude protein (N × 6.25), ether extract, ash and starch contents of the seeds were stable and did not differ (p > 0.01) in all the test containers at the end of storage. Tribolium casteneum observed as the seed's primary pest in storage was controlled hermetically in the plastic bucket. Proliferation of lipolytic and toxigenic molds associated with insufficient drying of stored seeds was common in all the containers. Further studies to determine ‘safe moisture’ content for storage of the seeds is required for better handling.

Insect repellent activity of diterpenoid alkaloids.

Diterpenoid and norditerpenoid alkaloids were tested against Tribolium casteneum (Herbst.) in order to assess their repellent activity. Of 29 tested alkaloids, 21 compounds showed promising insect repellent activity, while eight of them were not found to be active. The alkaloids were obtained from Delphinium, Consolida and Aconitum species. The highest activity was found in hetisine, a diterpene alkaloid (59.37%) and the lowest activity in another diterpene alkaloid venulol (31.25%).

Quality deterioration of phane, the edible caterpillar of an emperor moth Imbrasia belina

The cause for the deterioration of quality in phane, the edible larva of the emperor moth, Imbrasia belina (Westwood) was investigated. Samples were subjected to bacteriological and mycological analyses. In addition insect pests which affect storage life of the product were also assessed. 70% of the bacterial isolates associated with phane were proteolytic and 75% were either chitinolytic, lipolytic or both. Most isolates were sporeformers. But, other Gram-positive and negative isolates were also present in significant numbers. The most frequent fungal isolates were species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Cladosporium and phycomycetes. Some of the fungal isolates are known to be mycotoxin producers. The insect which were associated with phane were Dermestes maculatus, Sitophilus zeamais, Corcyra cephalonica, Tribolium confusum, Tribolium casteneum, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Bracon hebetor, Anisopteromalus cavandrae, and Stathmopoda species. Mites were also found infesting stored phane. The postharvest deterioration of phane appeared to be a concerted effort by the bacteria, moulds and insects.

The repellant and antifeedant properties of Cyperus articulatus against Tribolium casteneum Hbst.

Cyperus articulatus is an insect repellant plant commonly found in Northern Nigeria and used traditionally in pest control. The light petroleum and methanol extracts of the plant's rhizome were evaluated against Tribolium casteneum Hbst (the red flour beetle) using standard techniques. The methanol extract showed more antifeedant property than the light petroleum extract, while both the extracts were observed to have similar repellant actions.

Simulated radiation disinfestation of infested cocoa beans in Ghana

Four major insect pests Cadra cautella , (Walker) Lasioderma serricorne (F.) Araecerus fasciculatus (DeG) and Tribolium casteneum (Herbst) persistently affect the cocoa industry in Ghana, the world's leading exporter of cocoa, despite the conventional methods of chemical control in practice. The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission currently is investigating the possible use of radiation for the control of both insect attack and microbial spoilage of cocoa beans in storage. Radiation response studies of the four major insect pests that significantly affect the quality of dried cocoa beans in storage have been evaluated. Results herein reported were based on simulated bulk infestation radiation disinfestation of dried cocoa under field and laboratory conditions at ambient temperature (25–32°C). The comparative efficiency of locally available packaging materials best suited for bagging of the dried cocoa beans at and after irradiation have been assessed concurrently. The author concludes by identifying and discussing possible factors that could affect the technology of radiation disinfestation of cocoa beans under the Ghanaian context.

Insecticidal effects of activated charcoal and clays.

BRISCOE1, Kitchner et al. 2, Wigglesworth3, and Parkin4 have studied the ‘inert’ dusts for their insecticidal action. Reports on the insecticidal properties of ‘inert’ dusts, particularly of silica, coal ash, diamond, ‘Carborundum’, dusts from blast furnaces, flint, felspar, magnesite and dolomite are available1,2,4. While screening samples of various clays, decolourizing carbon, gas absorbing carbon, silica gel and commercial soil conditioners for insecticidal effects, it was observed that most of the dusts passing through a 300-mesh had various degrees of insecticidal effects on Tribolium casteneum Hbst. adults; but activated charcoal and decolourizing clays exhibited, in general, quicker effects on insects than unactivated dusts. Samples of wood shavings, sawdusts, coconut shells and kaolinic clays were activated therefore, for further studies on their insecticidal properties. Activated charcoals were prepared by the zinc chloride activation method5 and kaolinic clays were activated by acid treatment6.