Effectiveness of hermetic containers in controlling paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) storage insect pests

Abstract

Naturally infested paddy rice was used to compare the effectiveness of polypropylene bags and hermetic storage containers over 12 months of storage in a warehouse. Insect pest identification as well as the infestation level, percentage of damaged grain, weight loss, and moisture content were evaluated. Five insect species associated with stored rice were identified during the storage period, namely lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica), red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), rice/maize weevil (Sitophilus spp.), angoumois grain moth (Sitotroga cerealella) and flat grain beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus). The lesser grain borer was the most predominant species with an average incidence above 70% after twelve months of storage, followed by the rice/maize weevil with an incidence of 17%. When compared to hermetic storage containers, polypropylene bag showed the highest mean infestation level with 233.3 individuals/ kg after six months of storage, representing about 8-fold of the number of insects recorded in hermetic containers after six months of storage. In polypropylene container, the percentage of damaged grain and weight loss increased significantly achieving a maximum of 6.98% and 5.56% respectively, whereas using hermetic containers the highest percentage of damaged grain reached was 3.24% in polyethylene drum and the weight loss was 1.62% in GrainSafe bag. The results from the study show that the use of hermetic storage containers is a green alternative for safe storage of paddy rice, for 12 months without application of pesticides, bringing multiple advantages for smallholder farmers, lever food security and income generation for smallholder farmers and rice milling companies.

Effectiveness of high‐density polyethylene container and Super Grain Bag for the storage system of cowpea grain for smallholder farmers

“…The fluctuation of moisture content in hermetic storage systems has also been reported in previous studies and has been partly attributed to intermittent opening of the storage containers for grain sampling (Baoua, Amadou, Ousmane, Baributsa, & Murdock, 2014; Chigoverah & Mvumi, 2016; Covele et al, 2020). However, no sound explanation could be offered for the differences in the fluctuation of moisture content of the grain stored in Super Grain Bag when used alone and when associated with the polyethylene container, especially considering that, when used alone, the Super Grain Bag was perforated by insects after 4 months of storage.…”

“…On the contrary, the polyethylene container showed to be effective in limiting the multiplication of insects, achieving the best performance when combined with the Super Grain Bag, with only twofold increase in insect population after 180 days of storage. Covele et al (2020) also reported a reduction on insect population in paddy rice stored in high‐density polyethylene containers of different sizes for 12 months, while for grain stored in polypropylene bags the population of insects increased by eightfold over the storage period. Insect population increase in polyethylene container associated with Super Grain Bag is most likely to be a result of insect death making them easy to capture or to already existing larvae that developed to adult during the storage period.…”

“…Grain samples (1 kg) were collected, and the number of adult insects (live and dead altogether) was immediately recorded at the location of the experiment, as previously reported by Covele et al (2020). For on‐station trials, the infestation level was recorded monthly, whereas, for on‐farm trials, it was done every 2 months.…”

“…All gathered data were organized using Microsoft Excel (2018). Two‐way factorial ANOVA was used to test the effect of type of storage system and period, and the interaction of both factors in grain moisture content, insect density, damaged grain, as suggested by Covele et al (2020) and Guenha et al (2014). Data from the sensory evaluation were analyzed using one‐way ANOVA to test the effect of storage system on consumer's attribute scores (Korus, Banaś, & Korus, 2017).…”

Rice for Food Security: Revisiting Its Production, Diversity, Rice Milling Process and Nutrient Content

“…Traditional methods of preserving and storing rice grains include the use of Silo, Nahu, Camphor, Dole, Motka, jute bags, Obeh and polypropylene bag [124]. The new method of storing rice grain, which includes hermetic bags such as the GrainPro, AgroZ, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS), have been reported [125][126][127]. The interest of farmers in hermetic bags has been sparked by the aim to cut rice grain storage losses due to insect pests and the difficulties (inefficacy) associated with current storage methods [128,129].…”