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Field efficacy of hermetic and other maize grain storage options under smallholder farmer management

Field efficacy of hermetic and other maize grain storage options under smallholder farmer management

Mlambo, Shaw, Mvumi, Brighton M, Stathers, Tanya ORCID: 0000-0002-7767-6186, Mubayiwa, Macdonald and Nyabako, Tinashe (2017) Field efficacy of hermetic and other maize grain storage options under smallholder farmer management. Crop Protection, 98. pp. 198-210. ISSN 0261-2194 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2017.04.001)

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Abstract

Household grain storage continues to be of paramount importance in improving food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where maize postharvest losses of 10-20 % are reported. On-farm trials to compare alternative solutions for reducing household maize storage losses were conducted in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 storage seasons in two contrasting agro-ecological zones in Hwedza district of Zimbabwe. A wide range of treatments including a commercial synthetic pesticide (Shumba super dust®1), unregistered but commonly used botanical pesticides (Aloe ash, Colophospermum mopane leaves, Eleusine coracana (rapoko) chaff, and Ocimum gratissimum), hermetic storage facilities (metal silos, GrainPro Super Grain Bags (SGB) IVR™, Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags), and storage bags with pesticide incorporated into their fabric (ZeroFly® bags), were evaluated. The results demonstrated the superiority of hermetic storage facilities (PICS bags, SGBs, and metal silos) in suppressing insect pest build up, insect grain damage and weight loss in stored maize grain. A newly introduced synthetic pesticide on the Zimbabwean market, Actellic gold dust®, was also evaluated in the 2015/16 season and was found to be highly effective. The following grain storage technologies; hermetic metal silos, SGB bags, PICS bags, and Actellic gold dust® pesticide are therefore recommended for smallholder farmer use to reduce stored grain losses due to insect pests.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Food security; Unregistered botanical pesticides; Maize grain storage; Synthetic pesticides; Storage insect pests
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Engineering & Science
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food & Markets Department
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Postharvest Science and Technology Research Group
Last Modified: 28 Apr 2020 17:46
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/16695

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