Abstract:
Though synthetic insecticides have being in use since 1950s and of great help since inception, the adverse effects on human, non-target organisms and the environment has became of great concern. The concerns have made some countries to ban the use of some pesticides in a view to protect the ecosystem. It is evident that some plants posses insecticidal properties thus could be consider as natural suitable replacement for synthetic chemicals used in the control of pests. The study experimented on the repellence and control effectiveness of both neem and garlic extracts on storage pests of maize, rice and beans. The research also studied the effects of the extracts on progeny emergence from the treated grains as well as consumption safety of the treated grains. The findings of the study revealed that the extracts of neem, garlic and neem-garlic mixture used are effective in controlling the insect pests of stored grains. There were differences in the mean and percentage repellence, mortality and progeny emergence rates of insects in the grains. Result showed that a mixture of both extracts was the most effective control for the storage pests of maize, rice and beans with death record of 100% for Sitophilus z. and Sitophilus o. and 95% for Callosobruchus m. within 5 treatment days. The treated grains were found to be safe for consumption. The study thus report neem (Azadirachta indica L.) and garlic (Allum sativum) extracts as suitable treatment of stored grains against their storage pests.
