Assessment of losses due to insect pests under wheat storage practices in semi arid region

The extensive survey of insect pests on stored wheat revealed that the storage containers and structures adopted by the farmers were mainly gunny bags (41.5%), bulk storage in room (18.1%), Pucca Bukhari (16.7%), metal bin (11.1%), Kuthla (5.6%), Kothi (4.2%) and Matka bin (2.8%). The insecticides and grain protectants used by the farmers were aluminium phosphide (6.9%), neem leaves (5.6%), EDB (4.2%), malathion spray on bags (2.8%), ash (1.4%) and sand (1.4%). However, most of respondents (77.8%) did not use insecticides or grain protectants. Important grain pests recorded were Rhyzopertha dominica (43.1% infestated samples), Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma granarium, Sitophilus oryzae and Sitotroga cerealella. Maximum weight loss in wheat grain was observed due to T. granarium (16.9%) and R. dominica (12.4%).