INSECT PESTS OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS IN STORAGE AND THEIR MANAGEMENT
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Date
2009-08-25
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University of Agricultural Sciences GKVK, Bangalore
Abstract
In the present study stored sunflower seeds and oilcakes were examined at
different locations to document the associated insect pest fauna. Among the
species of insect pests, the tenebrionid, Tribolium castaneum, the fig moth,
Ephestia cautella, the silvanid, Oryzaephilus surinamensis and rice moth, Corcyra
cephalonica were important ones. None of the three major pests were successful in
feeding and developing on the whole seeds of sunflower, therefore their biology
was initiated on broken seeds. In case of T. castaneum eggs were laid singly
attached to the seeds on their cracks and cervices. On an average each stage viz,
egg, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and pupal periods lasted for 6.07 ± 0.8 ,
2.23 ± 0.43, 6.15 ±0.55, 4.30 ±0.48, 5.83 ± 0.75, 6.38 ±0.96, 16.9 ±1.89 and 8.01
± 1.95 days, respectively. Biology of E. cautella revealed that the mean egg, first,
second, third, fourth larval instars and pupal periods were 4.03± 0.69, 3.09±0.81,
3.78± 0.78, 8.34±0.98, 10.78±0.73 and 6.97±0.55 days, respectively. The total
developmental period from egg to adult ranged from 37 to 42 days, with a mean of
38.98 days. In case of C. cephalonoica, the pest took 52.31±3.04 days to complete
its lifecycle and the mean egg, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth larval instars
and pupal period were 5.95±0.99, 4.80±0.92, 6.52± 0.51, 5.04±0.74, 3.71±0.84,
5.09±0.83, 10.47±0.67 and 13.09±2.23 days respectively. In case of T. castaneum
both adult and the larvae fed on the kernels by leaving only the seed coat. In case
of E. cautella and C. cephalonica the larvae caused damage by intensive webbing
of the seeds. Proper sanitation and the chemical control (malathion+ thiram (2g/kg
of seeds) were more effective in suppressing both T. castaneum and E. cautella,
even after storing the treated seeds for upto 90 days after imposition of treatments.
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