Effect of Different Storage Materials on the Infestation of Rice Weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Stored Rice Grains

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were carried out for two years to study the effect of different storage materials on the infestation of Sitophilus oryzae on stored rice grains using different storage containers namely gunny-bags, polythene-bags, cloth-bags, polythene coated cloth-bags and earthen pots. Considering the storage material from the present studies, cloth bags registered the highest damaged grain percent with 39.47% at 90 DAS while the lowest was recorded from the polythene bags with 28.31%. At the same time greatest grain weight loss was also recorded from the cloth bags (32.00%) and the lowest from the polythene bags (21.16%). It is also noticed from the results that among the storage materials used, highest population was registered from the cloth bags (435.89 adults) while the lowest population was noted from the polythene bags (303.00 adults) (pooled mean data) at 90 DAS.