Basic HTML Version
Molecular Entomology
33
Effect of E. aromatica used for treatment of jute bag
on the protected grains
Table 4 showed the effect of the
E. aromatica
oil
treated jute bags used as packaging material on the
colour and odour of the stored wheat grains. The result
obtained showed that the oil extract treated jute bags
have no adverse effect on the colour of the wheat
grains after six months of storage regardless of the
dosage used. However, it was noted that there was
slight change in the odour of the wheat grains stored
inside deep-soaked treated jute bags and this also
affects the acceptability of the grains.
Table 4 effect of
E. aromatica
oil treated jute bags on the wheat
grains after six months of storage
Treatments
Colour
Odour
Acceptability
2
4
6
8
Deep-soaked
Solvent control
Untreated control
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
5
5
Note: Key: 5=very good; 4=good; 3=average; 2=fair; 1=poor
Effect of treated jute bags on viability of stored wheat
grains
Table 5 presents the effect of bio-pesticide treated jute
bags on the viability of stored wheat grains. The effect
of treated bags on the viability of treated grains
showed that none of the treated bags adversely affect
the viability of the wheat grains when compared with
the controls after six months of storage. Moreover,
only the untreated control and 2ml treated jute bag
were able to achieve 100% wheat viability. However,
their effect was not significantly (p>0.05) different
from other treatments as all of them achieved above
90% seed viability.
Discussion
Researches have been shifted toward plant kingdom
for their possibility in replacing synthetic chemical
insecticides because they are believed to contain some
chemicals that are toxic to insect pests of stored
products. However, despite of widespread public
concern for the side effects of synthetic pesticides, the
Table 5 Effect of treated jute bags on the viability of wheat
grains
Doses(ml)
% germination
2
4
6
8
Deep-soaked
Solvent control
Untreated control
100.00±0.00
a
94.00±1.08
a
93.24±0.24
a
92.00±0.88
a
93.46±0.28
a
98.00±0.24
a
100.00±0.00
a
Note: Each value is the mean ± standard error of three
replicates. Mean followed by the same letters within the same
column are not significantly (P > 0.05) different from each
other using New Duncan’s Multiple Range Test
market share of biopesticides including botanical and
microbial pesticides is less than 2.2% of the global
pesticides market (Isman, 2000; Kim
et al.,
2012).
This could be due to the adverse effects that are
associated with botanical base pesticides because
consumers find it difficult to accept any food
commodities that have colour change, undesirable
odour, change of taste and other effects that are
associated with botanical pesticides (Bagum
et al
.,
2013). Therefore, a new method of application of
some of these well known active botanical pesticides
is required. Moreso, recent government action in the
United States, in the form of the Food Quality
Protection Act of 1996, will dramatically restrict the
use of many conventional insecticides upon which
growers have depended for decades (Isman, 2000).
Nevertheless, this could serve as an opportunity for
botanical based pesticides to grow drastically in the
market place if a new method of their application is
provided.
The result obtained from this research showed that the
bags treated with oil of
E. aromatica
is highly toxic to
adult
R. dominica
. The ability of the bags to cause
mortality could be due to the toxic effect of the
E.
aromatica
oil used for the treatment of these bags.
Idoko and Adeshina (2012) opined that the oil used
for the treatment of these bags has the ability to block
the spiracle of the insects thereby causing suffocation.
Also, the oils are known to contain phenylpropanoids
such as carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and cinnamaldehyde
which have been known to have ability to disrupte the