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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #351315
Research Project: Sustainable Management Strategies for Stored-Product Insects

Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research

Title: Evaluation of plastic and steel bins for protection of stored maize against insect infestation in Ghana

Author
item BOSOMTWE, A - Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology
item OSEKRE, E - Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology
item OPIT, G - Oklahoma State University
item MBATA, G - Fort Valley State University
item Armstrong, Paul
item Arthur, Franklin
item Campbell, James - Jim
item NSIAH, E - Pens Food Bank

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2018
Publication Date: 10/11/2018
Citation: Bosomtwe, A., Osekre, E.A., Opit, G.P., Mbata, G., Armstrong, P.R., Arthur, F.H., Campbell, J.F., Nsiah, E.P. 2018. Evaluation of plastic and steel bins for protection of stored maize against insect infestation in Ghana. In: (Juluis-Kuhr-Archieve) 12th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection, October 7-11, 2018, Berlin, Germany. 463:968-972.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Maize is a staple in Ghana where there is ever increasing demand for its use to support poultry and livestock production. Post-harvest loss of maize is high in Ghana. This study evaluated the effectiveness of plastic and steel bins as bulk storage structures to reduce maize post-harvest loss in Ejura, Ghana during the period February 2016 to January 2017. Maize pre-disinfested with a solar biomass hybrid dryer was stored in a 7-ton white plastic bin filled with untreated maize, a 7-ton green plastic bin filled with untreated maize,a 6-ton Kikapu steel bin filled with untreated maize, 50-kg polypropylene (PP) bags filled with maize treated with Betallic Super (80 g pirimiphos-methyl and 15 g permethrin per liter as an emulsifiable concentrate (EC)), and 50-kg PP bags filled with untreated maize (control). The various types of storages were the experimental treatments. Moisture content, insect pests, insect damaged kernels (IDK), grain weight loss, aflatoxin and fumonisin levels data were collected monthly. Sitophilus zeamais, Tribolium castaneum, Cathartus quadricollis, and Cryptolestes ferrugineus were the dominant insect species collected from maize samples. At the end of 12 months of storage, % IDK in the control was >17% while IDK values in the other treatments were <3%. Mean grain weight losses of <1% were recorded in the bin treatments. Mycotoxin levels in the control were above the allowable threshold of 15 ppb. Our data suggest that use of plastic and steel bins has potential to reduce post-harvest loss of maize during storage.