Biorational Approaches to Managing Stored-Product Insects

Abstract

Stored-product insects can cause postharvest losses, estimated from up to 9% in developed countries to 20% or more in developing countries. There is much interest in alternatives to conventional insecticides for controlling stored-product insects because of insecticide loss due to regulatory action and insect resistance, and because of increasing consumer demand for product that is free of insects and insecticide residues. Sanitation is perhaps the first line of defense for grain stored at farms or elevators and for food-processing and warehouse facilities. Some of the most promising biorational management tools for farm-stored grain are temperature management and use of natural enemies. New tools for computer-assisted decision-making and insect sampling at grain elevators appear most promising. Processing facilities and warehouses usually rely on trap captures for decision-making, a process that needs further research to optimize.

Tenebrionid secretions and a fungal benzoquinone oxidoreductase form competing components of an arms race between a host and pathogen

“…Tenebrionid beetles including Tribolium castaneum (the red flour beetle) and Ulomoides dermestoides are two such resistant insect species. The former is of particular importance as a worldwide pest of stored products, resulting in significant agricultural losses per year that often disproportionately affect developing nations (24,25). The latter, curiously enough, is consumed as an alternative medicine for the treatment of a range of illnesses including diabetes and cancer (26).…”

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“…In average grossly 50% food grain loss has registered due to improper storage [1]. Out of that 42% is only for insect pest attack [2]. In tropical countries the dimension of damage may extend up to 56% [3].…”

Potentiality of botanical agents for the management of post harvest insects of maize: a review

“…Further, indiscriminate use of these synthetic insecticides resulted in the development of resistance (Subramanyam and Hagstrum 1995;Arthur 1996;Mohan et al 2010;Correa et al 2011), residues, undesirable effects on non target organisms, human and environmental hazards (White and Leesch 1995). Moreover, methyl bromide, one of the most effective fumigants in the control of stored pests, is banned from 2015 as per Montreal Protocol, due to its ozone depleting nature (Fields and White 2002;Philips and Throne 2010;Germinara et al 2012). As a result, managing storage insects has become more of a challenge.…”