Management of Maize Weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) Using Hermetic and Non-Hermetic Storage Containers: A Short Communication

Background and Objective: Maize is one of the most important food crops in developing countries. The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais, is one of the most important post-harvest pests of the crop. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hermetic and non-hermetic containers as well as black polythene plastic bags treated in the sun on maize weevil survival and seed viability. Materials and Methods: The treatments were three unreplicated black polythene plastic bags and two plastic water bottles. The black polythene plastic bags were prepared manually. In each of these containers, 150 g of undamaged, weevil-free maize grain was added along with 15 live adult maize weevils. One of the plastic water bottles was kept hermetically sealed, while the other was perforated to allow air entry. The black polythene plastic bags were tightly sealed and put in the sun at a mean temperature of 30°C for 20 min, 40 min and an hour, respectively. Treatments of the plastic water bottles were kept for a week. Data were analysed using Excel software. Results: The oxygen depletion resulted in 100% adult weevil mortality after a week in a hermetic container. The black polythene plastic bags exposed to the sun for 40 min to 1 hr resulted in 100% adult mortality. The germination test results in this study indicated that black polythene plastic bags exposed to the sun for a maximum of an hour and above resulted in decreased germination capacity. Conclusion: The hermetic containers and black polythene plastic bags were thus found to be effective against maize weevil control.