Preliminary screening of selected tropical botanicals as cowpea protectants against cowpea seed bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptrea: Chrysomelidae: Bruchineae)

Abstract :

A preliminary screening was conducted to investigate the potentials of thirteen botanical powders as cowpea seed protectant against cowpea seed bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus, Fabricius using seed damage parameters. The botanicals included Azadirachta indica, Ekebergia senegalensis, Urginea altissima, Ancistrophyllum secundiflorum, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, Lannea welwitschii, Xylopia parviflora, Usteria guineensis and Antiaris toxicaria. Others were Indigofera arrecta, Hoslundia opposita, Cleome ciliata and Lagerra aurita. All the botanicals, except L. aurita, showed potentials for cowpea protectant ability against the seed bruchid. Using Bruchid Perforation Index (BPI) values, the most effective powders were A. indica (2.95), A. toxicoria (2.07) and H. opposita (2.64) which BPI values were significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of L. aurita (26.46). Percentage Seed damage (PSD) varied with the studied botanicals (2.10-41.32%) and significantly (p<0.05) lower in the botanical-treated seeds compared to the untreated control (98.28%). The effective botanicals are, therefore, recommended for tropical resource-poor subsistent farmers for use in their small scale cowpea postharvest storage and for further studies to elucidate other effective formulations and their active ingredients.


Keyword :

Botanical powders, Bruchid Perforation Index, Callosobruchus, grain protectant, seed damage


Author(s) : Babarinde, S. A., Pitan, O. O. R.
Downloads : 403
Published Issue : 2019 Vol. 14 Number 2


2019 Vol. 14 Number 2