Hostname: page-component-7f64f4797f-pmsz9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-11-09T20:16:00.886Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Efficacy of different hermetic bag storage technologies against insect pests and aflatoxin incidence in stored maize grain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

Kimondo Mutambuki  and
Paddy Likhayo Open the ORCID record for Paddy Likhayo [Opens in a new window]
Kimondo Mutambuki*
Affiliation:
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Food Crops Research Institute-Kabete, P O Box 14733-00800, Nairobi, Kenya
Paddy Likhayo
Affiliation:
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Food Crops Research Institute-Kabete, P O Box 14733-00800, Nairobi, Kenya
*
Author for correspondence: Kimondo Mutambuki, Email: kimondo.mutambuki@kalro.org; mutambukikimo@yahoo.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The performance of six grain storage technologies for the control of insect pests in maize was evaluated over a 36-week (9-month) storage period. The six technologies used were: two ZeroFly® hermetic bag brands (laminated and non-laminated); Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag; non-hermetic ZeroFly® bag; woven polypropylene (PP) bag containing maize grain treated with Actellic Gold® Dust (pirimiphos-methyl 1.6% + thiamethoxam 0.3%) and woven PP bag containing untreated grain. Each bag was filled with 50 kg maize grain and four replicates of each were set up. With the exception of the non-hermetic ZeroFly® bag, 50 live adults of the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus and of the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais, were introduced into all the bags. Insects were not introduced into the non-hermetic ZeroFly® bag to assess its effectiveness in repelling infestation from outside. Parameters recorded were gas composition (oxygen and carbon dioxide) levels inside the bags; weight of flour generated by insect feeding activities; grain moisture level; live adult insect counts; grain damage and weight loss; grain germination rate and aflatoxin level. At termination, the plastic liners of the hermetic bags were examined for perforations. Results show that oxygen depletion and carbon dioxide evolution were faster in ZeroFly® hermetic compared to PICS bags. Throughout the 36-week storage trial, grain damage remained below 4% and weight loss below 3% in all the treatments except in the untreated PP bags in which it increased to 81.1 and 25.5%, respectively. The hermetic PICS, ZeroFly® and Actellic Gold dust-treated PP bags maintained grain germination at 60%, which was lower than the initial 90%, while in untreated control, it reduced to 4.7%. The mean aflatoxin levels fluctuated between 0.39 and 3.56 parts per billion (ppb) during 24 weeks of storage in all the technologies tested, which is below the acceptable maximum level of 10 ppb in maize. Based on the evaluation results, it can be concluded that hermetic PICS and ZeroFly® bags and woven PP bag with Actellic Gold dust-treated grain effectively protected stored maize grain from insect attack and weight losses. Appropriate strategies and mechanisms for the effective and efficient adoption of hermetic storage bag technology at scale would contribute towards global food security.

Keywords

Aflatoxinhermetic storage bagsProstephanus truncatusSitophilus zeamaisweight loss

Information

Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 111 , Issue 4 , August 2021 , pp. 499 - 510
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abass, AB, Fischer, M, Schneider, K, Daudi, S, Gasper, A, Rust, T, Kabula, E, Ndunguru, G, Madulu, D and Msola, D (2018) On-farm comparison of different postharvest storage technologies in maize farming system of Tanzania central corridor. Journal of Stored Products Research 77, 55–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ACDI/VOCA (2007) Kenya maize handbook training manual No. 27.Google Scholar
Affognon, H, Mutingi, C, Sanginga, P and Borgmeister, C (2015) Unpacking postharvest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-analysis. World Development 66, 49–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anankware, PJ, Fatumbi, AO, Afreh-Nuamah, K, OBeng-Ofori, D and Ansah, AF (2012) Efficacy of multiple-layer hermetic storage bag for biorational management of primary beetle pests of stored maize. Academic Journal of Entomology 5, 47–53.Google Scholar
Baoua, IB, Amadou, L and Murdock, LL (2012) Triple bagging for cowpea storage in rural Niger: questions farmers ask. Journal of Stored Products Research 52, 86–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baoua, IB, Amadou, L, Ousmane, B, Baributsa, D and Murdock, LL (2014) PICS bags for postharvest storage of maize grain in West Africa. Journal of Stored Products Research 58, 20–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baoua, IB, Bakoye, O, Amadou, L, Murdock, LL and Baributsa, D (2018) Performance of PICS bags under extreme conditions in Sahel zone of Niger. Journal of Stored Products Research 76, 96–101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baributsa, D, Djibo, K, Lowenberg-DeBoer, J, Moussa, B and Baoua, I (2014) The fate of triple-layer plastic bags used for cowpea storage. Journal of Stored Products Research 58, 97–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baributsa, D, Bakoye, ON, Baoua, I and Murdock, LL (2020) Performance of five postharvest storage methods for maize preservation in Northern Benin. Insects 11, 541. doi: 10.3390/insects 11080541CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boxall, RA (1986) A critical review of the methodology for assessing farm-level grain losses after harvest, Tropical Development and Research Institute. Report No. G191. Overseas Development Administration, Slough.Google Scholar
Boxall, RA (2002) Damage and loss caused by the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus. Integrated Pest Management Reviews 7, 105–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CIMMYT (2013) Kiboko crops research station: a brief and visitor guide: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
De Groote, H, Kimenju, SC, Likhayo, P, Kanampiu, F, Tefera, T and Hellin, J (2013) Effectiveness of hermetic systems in controlling maize storage pests in Kenya. Journal of Stored Products Research 53, 27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAO (2011) Situation analysis: improving food safety in the maize value chain in Kenya. Report prepared for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations 2011 by Prof. Erastus Keng'ethe, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, University of Nairobi.Google Scholar
Fufa, N, Abera, S and Demissie, G (2020) Effect of storage container and storage period on germination of grain maize in Bako, West Shewa, Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology 6, 088–092.Google Scholar
García-Lara, S, Ortíz-Islas, S and Villers, P (2013) Portable hermetic storage bag resistant to Prostephanus truncatus, Rhyzopertha dominica and Callosobruchus maculatus. Journal of Stored Products Research 54, 23–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitinoja, L, Dandago, MA and Abdullahi, N (2019) Postharvest loss assessment of maize (Zea mays) along its value chain in Nigeria. Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research 10, 13–19.Google Scholar
Li, L (1988) Behavioural ecology and life history evolution in the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn). PhD Thesis dissertation, University of Reading, UK. 229pp.Google Scholar
Likhayo, P, Bruce, AY, Tefera, T and Mueke, J (2018) Maize grain stored in hermetic bag: effect of moisture and pest infestation on grain quality. Hindawi Journal of Food Quality, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2515698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manandhar, A, Milindi, P and Shah, A (2018) An overview of postharvest grain storage practices of smallholder farmers in developing countries. MDPI Agriculture 8, 57. doi: 10.3390/agriculture 8040057CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, DT, Williams, SB, Baributsa, D and Murdock, LL (2015) The effect of small leaks, grain bulk and the patching of leaks on the performance of hermetic storage. Journal of Stored Products Research 62, 40–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mlambo, S, Mvumi, BM, Stathers, T, Mubayiwa, M and Nyaboko, T (2017) Field efficacy of hermetic and other maize grain storage options under smallholder farmer management. Crop Protection 98, 198–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moussa, B, Abdoulaye, T, Coulibaly, O, Baributsa, D and Lowenberg-Deboer, J (2014) Adoption of on-farm hermetic storage for cowpea in west and central Africa in 2012. Journal of Stored Products Research 58, 77–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murdock, LL and Baoua, IB (2014) On Purdue improved cowpea storage (PICS) technology: background, mode of action, future prospects. Journal of Stored Products Research 58, 3–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murdock, LL, Dago, SD, Ntoukam, G, Kitch, L and Shade, RE (2003) Preservation of cowpea grain in Sub-Saharan Africa-Bean/cowpea CRP contributions. Field Crops Research 82, 169–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mutambuki, K, Affognon, H, Likhayo, P and Baributsa, D (2019) Evaluation of Purdue improved crop storage triple layer hermetic storage bag against Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). MDPI Insects 10, 204. doi: 10.3390/insects 10070204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mutungi, C, Affognon, HD, Njoroge, AW, Manono, J, Baributsa, D and Murdock, LL (2015) Triple-layer plastic bags protect dry common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) against damage by Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) during storage. Journal of Economic Entomology 108, 2479–2488.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nwosu, LC (2018) Maize and the maize weevil: advances and innovations in postharvest control of the pest. Food Quality and Safety 3, 145–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obeng-Ofori, D (2011) Protecting grain from insect pest infestations in Africa: producer perceptions and practices. Stewart Postharvest Reviews 3, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ognakossan, KE, Tounou, AK, Lamboni, Y and Hell, K (2013) Postharvest insect infestation in maize grain stored in woven polypropylene and in hermetic bags. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science 33, 71–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Okonkwo, EU, Mwambani, SI, Otitodun, OG, Ogundare, MO, Bingham, GV, Odhiambo, JO and Williams, JO (2017) Evaluation of efficacy of a long lasting insecticide incorporated polypropylene bag as stored grain protectant against insect pests on cowpea and maize. Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research 8, 1–10.Google Scholar
Paudyal, S, Opit, GP, Osekre, EA, Arthur, FA, Bingham, GV, Payton, ME, Danso, JK, Manu, N and Nsiah, EP (2017a) Field evaluation of the long- lasting treated storage bag, deltamethrin incorporated (ZeroFly® storage bag) as a barrier to insect pest. Journal of Stored Products Research 70, 44–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paudyal, S, Opit, GP, Arthur, FH, Bingham, GV, Payton, ME, Gautam, SG and Noden, B (2017b) Effectiveness of the ZerFly® storage bag fabric against stored-product insects. Journal of Stored Products Research 73, 87–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quellhorst, H, Athanassiou, CH, Bruce, A, Scully, ED and Morrison, WR III (2020) Temperature-mediated competition between the invasive lager grain borer (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and the cosmopolitan maize weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Environmental Entomology 49, 255–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riudavets, J, Salas, I and Pons, MJ (2007) Damage characteristics produced by insect pests in packaging film. Journal of Stored Products Research 43, 564–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singano, CD, Mvumi, BM and Stathers, TE (2019) Effectiveness of grain storage facilities and protectants in controlling stored-maize insect pests in a climate-risk prone area of Shire valley, Southern Malawi. Journal of Stored Products Research 83, 130–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tefera, T, Teshome, A and Singano, C (2018) Effectiveness of improved hermetic storage structures against maize storage insect pests Sitophilus zeamais and Prostephanus truncatus. Journal of Agricultural Science 10, 100–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tekrony, DM, Shade, T, Rucker, M and Egli, DB (2005) Effect of seed shape on corn germination and vigour during warehouse and controlled environmental storage. Seed Science and Technology 33, 185–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Villers, P (2017) Food safety and aflatoxin control. Journal of Food Research 6, 38–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, DJ and Farrell, G (2003) Food Storage Manual. Chatham, UK: Natural Resources Institute/Rome: World Food Programme.Google Scholar
Williams, SB, Murdock, LL and Baributsa, D (2017) Sorghum seed storage in Purdue improved crop storage (PICS) bags and improved containers. Journal of Stored Products Research 72, 138–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar