Comparative Effect of Plant Extracts and Accession Differences on the Control of A Storage Insect Pest (Callosobruchus maculatus)

Abstract

Insect pests are the most important constraint limiting Bambara groundnut storage in Nigeria. Consequently, this study was conducted at the Laboratory of Pest Management Technology Department of Niger State College of Agriculture, Mokwa aimed at determining the comparative effect of organic plant extracts and accession differences on a storage insect pest of Bambara groundnut (Vigna suberrancean L Verdc) Mokwa is located on latitude 09o 18ˡN and longitude 05o 04ˡE in Southern guinea savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Med at The treatments were organic materials which consisted of garlic, white onion, violent tree root powder extracts and phostoxin as check while control had no antidote application. The trial was factorially combined in a 2×4 arrangement and fitted in to complete randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Data were collected on insect mortality rate, number of life insect pests, grain weight loss and insects damage score. The application of garlic, white onion, violent tree root powder extracts and phostoxin (check) recorded a significantly higher insect mortality rate at 14 and 28 days after storage of 3.67 and 3.00 compared to the control with no application that resulted in lowest mortality rate of 1.33. The result indicated that varieties of bambara groundnut did not differ significantly on number of life insects throughout the period of the study. The application of garlic, white onion and violent tree root powders’ extract are effective for the control of Callosobruchus maculatus. They are suggested for optimum quality protection of bambara groundnut and as alternatives to synthetic pesticides in southern guinea savanna zone of Nigeria.