Abstract

Author:
Md. Sadiquzzaman Sarker, Resnat Jannat, Md. Jewel Alam

Doi: 10.26480/trab.02.2025.66.71

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Maize (Zea mays L.), known as “Queen of cereals” is 2nd important cereal crop after rice in the world as well as Bangladesh. It causes damaged by insect pest. Angoumois grain moth (Sitotroga cerealella) is one of the important storage pests that caused severe seed damage. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of eco-friendly practices against Angoumois grain moth (S. cerealella) and their impact on seed health in stored maize (hybrid variety 9) at farmer house’s under PolashBari upazila of Rangpur district, Bangladesh, from the period of 1st April to June 30, 2023. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications, testing six botanical extracts (leaf extract of neem, eucalyptus, datura, akondo and garlic clove extract and cow urine), a standard chemical check (Spinosad 2.5 SC), and a control. Results indicated that Spinosad 2.5 SC (1.3 ml/L) was most effective, demonstrating the lowest mean number of insects (3.96/100g seed), infestation (3.56%), grain damage (6.35%), and weight loss (7.89%), alongside the highest mortality (96.59%) and germination (94.56%). Among the botanical treatments, neem leaf extract (3ml/L) showed promising results with relatively lower infestation (7.14%), grain damage (10.03%), and weight loss (12.03%), and higher mortality (85.48%) and germination (90.74%) compared to other botanicals. Garlic clove extract (3ml/L) also exhibited moderate effectiveness. In contrast, the control group exhibited the highest infestation (93.55%), grain damage (96.48%), and weight loss (97.49%), with zero mortality and the lowest germination (39.66%). The findings suggest that Spinosad 2.5 SC offers superior control, while neem leaf extract presents a viable eco-friendly alternative for managing S. cerealella and preserving maize seed health under storage conditions. These results underscore the potential for integrating eco-friendly approaches into post-harvest pest management strategies.