Low permeability triple-layer plastic bags prevent losses of maize caused by insects in rural on-farm stores

Ng’ang’a, Jeremiah; Mutungi, Christopher; Imathiu, Samuel; Affognon, Hippolyte

doi:10.1007/s12571-016-0567-9

Cited by 41 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Results of the present study show that rodents are the second most important maize storage pest problems in Kenya, after insects. The Larger grain borer and the Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) are the main storage insect pest in farm storage in Kenya (Bett and Nguyo 2007;De Groote et al 2013;Ng'ang'a et al 2016). This observation is supported by the results of the regression model which showed that the presence of rodents in storage contributed significantly to total postharvest losses incurred.…”

Section: Magnitudes Of Lossesmentioning

confidence: 86%

On-farm maize storage systems and rodent postharvest losses in six maize growing agro-ecological zones of Kenya

et al. 2016

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Rodents are one of the major postharvest pests that affect food security by impacting on both food availability and safety. However, knowledge of the impact of rodents in onfarm maize storage systems in Kenya is limited. A survey was conducted in 2014 to assess magnitudes of postharvest losses in on-farm maize storage systems in Kenya, and the contribution of rodents to the losses. A total of 630 farmers spread across six maize growing agro-ecological zones (AEZs) were interviewed. Insects, rodents and moulds were the main storage problems reported by farmers. Storage losses were highest in the moist transitional and moist mid-altitude zones, and lowest in the dry-transitional zone. Overall, rodents represented the second most important cause of storage losses after insects, and were ranked as the main storage problem in the lowland tropical zone, while insects were the main storage problem in the other AEZs. Where maize was stored on cobs, total farmer perceived (farmer estimation) storage weight losses were 11.1 ± 0.7 %, with rodents causing up to 43 % of these losses. Contrastingly, where maize was stored as shelled grain, the losses were 15.5 ± 0.6 % with rodents accounting for up to 30 %. Regression analysis showed that rodents contributed significantly to total storage losses (p < 0.0001), and identified rodent trapping as the main storage practice that significantly (p = 0.001) lowered the losses. Together with insecticides, rodent traps were found to significantly decrease total losses. Improved awareness and application of these practices could mitigate losses in on farm-stored maize.

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Section: Magnitudes Of Lossesmentioning

confidence: 86%

On-farm maize storage systems and rodent postharvest losses in six maize growing agro-ecological zones of Kenya

et al. 2016

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“…Better practices and technologies can reduce storage losses by almost 98% of those seen with traditional methods [70], irrespective of length of storage period. For example, Purdue improved crop storage (PICS) has been shown to reduce grain damage in terms of weight loss due to insects from over 40% to under 1% [83]. Unsanitary and unhygienic handling [22] during storage and transportation further adds to these losses.…”

Section: Transport and Storage Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

A Systems Approach to Food Loss and Solutions: Understanding Practices, Causes, and Indicators

et al. 2019

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Reasons behind food loss can be very specific for each product and supply chain stage but it is also affected by factors independent of the product and stage. This work focuses on such generic factors and develops a framework to analyze food loss as a systemic outcome. The framework highlights the interconnected nature of problem across supply chain stages and therefore emphasizes the need to look at the whole system instead of specific stages, when proposing solutions. Practices and underlying causes contributing to food loss are identified for each stage of the supply chain using a literature search. Deductive logic is used to fill the gaps where literature was found to be scarce, and to derive socio-economic indicators that signal the presence of identified causes. Using this framework, we propose a non-exhaustive list of 30 socio-economic indicators, which can signal the presence of the 22 practices and 60 causes associated with food loss in supply chains. This list can serve as a starting list for practitioners and policymakers to build on when analyzing food losses in supply chains in their region. We evaluate the framework using a field-study of a tomato supply chain in Nigeria, and conclude that it can be a useful tool to identify practices, causes, and indicators of food loss.

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“…Hermetic storage structures, including metal silos and portable hermetic bags have been successfully tested under laboratory conditions against diverse pests, including S. zeamais, P. truncatus and S. cerealella (García-Lara et al, 2013a,b;Tefera et al, 2011). Consequently, these structures were tested at field-scale in vulnerable regions, with successful results (Gitonga et al, 2013;Ng'ang'a et al, 2016). In Kenya, the usage of metal silos and super grain bags lead to reduction of losses caused by S. zeamais and P. truncatus to less than 5% (De Groote et al, 2013).…”

Section: Strategies For Reduction Of Postharvest Food-grain Lossesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postharvest insect resistance in maize

López-Castillo

Silva-Fernández

Winkler

et al. 2018

Journal of Stored Products Research

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One of the main challenges for the 21st century is ensuring global food security. Today, maize is the largest staple crop produced worldwide. Postharvest primary insect pests, especially the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the large grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus) cause food-grain losses during storage up to 40% of total production, mainly in developing countries. Alternatives for pest management have been explored, including the implementation of hermetic storage structures and the application of chemical insecticides. Nevertheless, in low-income regions, both strategies are rarely accessible to smallholders. Modern breeding programs have endeavored to develop insect-resistant varieties, which diminish postharvest pest losses. In this review, we report the current status and advances in maize kernel-pest interactions, the bases and mechanisms of kernel resistance and their biotechnological perspectives. We demonstrate that the comprehension of resistance mechanisms has been fundamental for the development of new productive and resistant varieties, representing a sustainable alternative for developing countries. Finally, we analyse the biotechnological perspectives of natural kernel resistance in global food security.

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Low permeability triple-layer plastic bags prevent losses of maize caused by insects in rural on-farm stores

Cited by 41 publications

References 40 publications

On-farm maize storage systems and rodent postharvest losses in six maize growing agro-ecological zones of Kenya

On-farm maize storage systems and rodent postharvest losses in six maize growing agro-ecological zones of Kenya

A Systems Approach to Food Loss and Solutions: Understanding Practices, Causes, and Indicators

Postharvest insect resistance in maize

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