Increasing concern over the amount of insecticide residues in food has encouraged research for ecologically sound strategies to effectively manage stored-product insect pests and protect living organisms and the envir...Increasing concern over the amount of insecticide residues in food has encouraged research for ecologically sound strategies to effectively manage stored-product insect pests and protect living organisms and the environment. Botanicals were evaluated as potential alternatives to control maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, in stored sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Beetles and moths of stored grain at farm and consumer levels damage 5 - 35% worldwide and >40% in tropical countries. Maize weevil is the most damaging storage insect of sorghum grain. Management of storage insects relies on insecticides that leave residues in food and the environment. Treatments were powders of neem bark, Azadirachta indica;mesquite pods, Prosopis glandulosa;milkweed leaves, Asclepias speciosa;and a check (no botanical powder). Eight newly emerged maize weevils were provided 5 g of Malisor-84 grain treated with three doses of each plant powder. Every 2 days, data were recorded on the number of adults killed by each treatment. Percentage killed was calculated by dose per treatment and compared with the check. Grain loss was calculated based on initial and final weights. LD50 was determined by probit analysis, and associations between variables were assessed by simple linear correlation. Powder of mesquite and milkweed at 0.2 g were more effective than neem or the check in killing S. zeamais (>90%) and reducing grain damage (34 - 35.2%) and weight loss (0.8%). Milkweed at 0.1 g and neem at 0.2 g killed 78.1% of weevils. Neem at 0.05 g was slow acting, resulting in 62.5% dead and more grain damage (59.5%) and weight loss (3.6%). Botanicals at low doses (LD50 = 0.2 - 0.4 g) showed efficacy in controlling maize weevils and are recommended alternatives to guarantee quantity and quality of stored cereal grains.展开更多
Participatory varietal selection (PVS) with farmers and Seed Companies was conducted at Maradi research station (07°05'E/13°48'N) and in farmer field to evaluate and select sorghum hybrid varieties f...Participatory varietal selection (PVS) with farmers and Seed Companies was conducted at Maradi research station (07°05'E/13°48'N) and in farmer field to evaluate and select sorghum hybrid varieties for high yield and other important agronomic traits. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications where flowering (days), plant height (cm) and yield (kg) were collected. The analysis of variance showed highly significance among treatments of all traits measured Environment and Genotype by Environment interactions also contributed significantly to the performance of yield components. The highest average grain yield was recorded from hybrids P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1 (4289 kg/ha), NE223A x 90SN1 (3666 kg/ha), NE223A x Sepon 82 (3533 kg/ha) and NE223A x P9405 (3519 kg/ha) across locations. Farmers’ preferences were the panicle size, good seed set, earliness, and seed color. Hence, in a variety selection farmer’s preferences focus more on prioritized yield-related trait. The best varieties ranked by traits of interest were P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1, NE223A x 90SN1, NE223A x P9405 and P9511A x SEPON 82 that performed well under their circumstances. The results showed that farmers’ preferred varieties match with researchers. Therefore, based on objectively measured traits, farmers’ preferences and the agro ecologies of the site, varieties NE223A x 90SN1 and P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1 were found promising for production.展开更多
文摘Increasing concern over the amount of insecticide residues in food has encouraged research for ecologically sound strategies to effectively manage stored-product insect pests and protect living organisms and the environment. Botanicals were evaluated as potential alternatives to control maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, in stored sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Beetles and moths of stored grain at farm and consumer levels damage 5 - 35% worldwide and >40% in tropical countries. Maize weevil is the most damaging storage insect of sorghum grain. Management of storage insects relies on insecticides that leave residues in food and the environment. Treatments were powders of neem bark, Azadirachta indica;mesquite pods, Prosopis glandulosa;milkweed leaves, Asclepias speciosa;and a check (no botanical powder). Eight newly emerged maize weevils were provided 5 g of Malisor-84 grain treated with three doses of each plant powder. Every 2 days, data were recorded on the number of adults killed by each treatment. Percentage killed was calculated by dose per treatment and compared with the check. Grain loss was calculated based on initial and final weights. LD50 was determined by probit analysis, and associations between variables were assessed by simple linear correlation. Powder of mesquite and milkweed at 0.2 g were more effective than neem or the check in killing S. zeamais (>90%) and reducing grain damage (34 - 35.2%) and weight loss (0.8%). Milkweed at 0.1 g and neem at 0.2 g killed 78.1% of weevils. Neem at 0.05 g was slow acting, resulting in 62.5% dead and more grain damage (59.5%) and weight loss (3.6%). Botanicals at low doses (LD50 = 0.2 - 0.4 g) showed efficacy in controlling maize weevils and are recommended alternatives to guarantee quantity and quality of stored cereal grains.
文摘Participatory varietal selection (PVS) with farmers and Seed Companies was conducted at Maradi research station (07°05'E/13°48'N) and in farmer field to evaluate and select sorghum hybrid varieties for high yield and other important agronomic traits. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications where flowering (days), plant height (cm) and yield (kg) were collected. The analysis of variance showed highly significance among treatments of all traits measured Environment and Genotype by Environment interactions also contributed significantly to the performance of yield components. The highest average grain yield was recorded from hybrids P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1 (4289 kg/ha), NE223A x 90SN1 (3666 kg/ha), NE223A x Sepon 82 (3533 kg/ha) and NE223A x P9405 (3519 kg/ha) across locations. Farmers’ preferences were the panicle size, good seed set, earliness, and seed color. Hence, in a variety selection farmer’s preferences focus more on prioritized yield-related trait. The best varieties ranked by traits of interest were P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1, NE223A x 90SN1, NE223A x P9405 and P9511A x SEPON 82 that performed well under their circumstances. The results showed that farmers’ preferred varieties match with researchers. Therefore, based on objectively measured traits, farmers’ preferences and the agro ecologies of the site, varieties NE223A x 90SN1 and P9511A x ST9007-5-2-1 were found promising for production.
