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Bio-rational control of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in stored wheat with Calneem® oil derived from neem seeds

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Abstract

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), is one of the most serious secondary pests that feeds on a wide range of durable stored products including cereals, cereal products and other high value produce such as cocoa beans and dried fruits. Toxicity and protectant potential of Calneem® oil derived from the seeds of the neem tree Azadirachta indica A. Juss. towards T. castaneum were evaluated in stored wheat in the laboratory using contact toxicity, grain treatment, persistency, progeny emergence and repellency assays. Calneem® contains about 0.3% azadirachtin as its major active ingredient. The Calneem® was applied at six dosages (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0% v/v). The oil was emulsified with water using 0.07% soap. All dosages of Calneem® oil were toxic and highly repellent to T. castaneum with an overall repellency in the range of 52–88%. The highest dosage of 3.0% of Calneem® oil tested killed at least 90% of the beetles within 72 h on grain, and 88% mortality was obtained on filter paper. T. castaneum mortality was dose dependent. The development of eggs to adults on cracked wheat was significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited by Calneem® oil treatments. The effectiveness of Calneem® oil was significantly reduced by the length of storage after application. The results obtained suggest good potential for the practical use of Calneem® oil as grain protectant for stored product pest control. The use of plant materials such as neem oil may be a safe, cost-effective method of grain preservation against pest infestation amongst low-resource poor farmers who store small amounts of grains.

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Acknowledgments

Charles Adarkwah was financially supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Berlin provided laboratory facilities and equipment for this work. We are most grateful to the staff of the institute who assisted in various ways. Calneem® oil was provided by AQUA AGRIC. Community Projects, Accra, Ghana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section Phytomedicine, Institute for Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 19, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Charles Adarkwah & Carmen Büttner

  2. Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Julius Kühn Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Königin-Luise-Str. 19, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Charles Adarkwah, Christoph Reichmuth & Matthias Schöller

  3. Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box 68, Accra, Ghana

    Daniel Obeng-Ofori

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  1. Charles Adarkwah
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  2. Daniel Obeng-Ofori
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  3. Carmen Büttner
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  4. Christoph Reichmuth
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  5. Matthias Schöller
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Correspondence to Charles Adarkwah or Matthias Schöller.

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Communicated by C.G. Athanassiou.

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Adarkwah, C., Obeng-Ofori, D., Büttner, C. et al. Bio-rational control of red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in stored wheat with Calneem® oil derived from neem seeds. J Pest Sci 83, 471–479 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-010-0317-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-010-0317-2

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