Impact of Traditional Post-harvest Practices on Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestation in Agro-ecological Zones of the Central African Republic

Abstract

Maize seeds are an important source of nutrients for human and animal. However, an important part of the seed production is lost due to the insect attacks, mainly by the weevil S. zeamais, a major pest of stored maize. The objective of this work was to study the impact of traditional pest management system on the development of S. zeamais infestation. Samples consisted of 100g of maize seeds from post-harvest. Different pest management practices (attic, polypropylene bag, sealed plastic and conservation on the cob) were considered from farmers in different localities in the three main agro-ecological zones of the Central African Republic. Samples were conserved for two months according to the different pest management practices. Damages were assessed by counting numbers of infested seeds. Results showed that after two months the sealed plastic method is the best mode of conservation (<5% of damages) in all localities. It turned out that correlations between damages and losses were higher when maize seeds are conserved in attics or by cob (r2>0.9). In conclusion, farmers should be encouraged to use sealed plastic as the pest-management practice against S. zeamais infestation.