Impact of Different Inert Materials on Infestation of Rust Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) on Stored Wheat

The present investigation entitled “impact of different inert materials on rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) on stored wheat” was conducted in the Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) during, 2011–2012. The result of the study conclude that the relative efficacy of grain protection was assessed by admixing the grains with different inert materials. Efficacy was measured based on adult mortality, adult emergence and per cent weight loss. Among different inert materials evaluated for their efficacy against the T. castaneum, after 7 days of storage cent per cent mortality of adult was recorded in boric acid and the next best treatments was silica gel followed by calcium carbonate, cow dung ash, wood ash, paddy husk. All the treatments tested have shown supremacy in controlling the adult mortality of T. castaneum ascompared to control. After 14 days ofstorage the maximum and minimum adult mortality was recorded in silica gel and saw dust, respectively. After 21 days of storage again silica gel was found to be superior in protecting grains from T. castaneum infestation by recording significantly maximum adult mortality followed by calcium carbonate and paddy husk. After 30 days of storage among all the treatmentsboricacid proved superior by recording zero per cent weight loss of wheat grains followed by silica gel, cow dung ash and paddy husk. The maximum per cent weight loss of wheat grains was recordedin untreated control followedby saw dust, paddy husk ash, sand, wood ash and calcium carbonate.