Mention one step/ measure for the managment of seed storage structure.
Answers
most important insect damaging pulses in field and storage are referred as bruchids or pulse beetles. The genus Callosobruchus has large number ofspecies representing C. maculatus (Fabricius), C. chinensis (Linnaeus), C. analis (Fabricius) and C. phaseoli (Gyllenhal) are more common in subtropical regions. However, C. rhodesianus (Pic) and C. sunnotatus (Pic) are also present in tropical region. C. theobromae (Linnaeus) is also found in pods of pigeonpea in India. Acanthoscelides obtectus is serious pest in rajmash. Other insects pests which cause damage to stored legumes are Trogoderma granarium (Everts), Rhyzopertha dominicia (Fabricius), Tribolium castaneum (Herbast), Ephestia cautella (Walker), Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), Latheticus oryzae (Waterhouse), Lasioderma serricorne (Fabicius), Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus), Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Steph) and few species of mites. Fungi from genera Penicillium and Aspergillus in association with these insects enhance the rate of deterioration. In India, pulses are mostly consumed in form of dal or dehusked split, which in absence of seed coat are prone to moisture gain and fungal infestation, besides preferred by insects other than bruchids. The split pulses are attacked by Rhizopertha dominica, Trogoderma granarium, Tribolium castaneum and Cadra cautella under storage conditions. The losses due to insect activity during storage are physical loss, loss in carbohydrates and proteins, nutritional losses and contamination of product with uric acid, fragments and faecal matter.
Sources of infestation
There are several sources of infestation :
Fields
Carried-over commodities, waste and rejects.
Agricultural machineries
Processing plants Farm grain stores and re-used sacks
Means of transportation
Alternative hibernation sites and hosts
Basic steps for insect control
In order to control insects in a storage warehouse or processing plants the following steps must be followed:
Monitoring : Have an inspection or surveillance programme which will yield prompt awareness of a possible problem (presence, level, source) before it occurs
Identification : Determine the extent and nature of the possible problem (species, type, level, means of transmission)
Control: Devise a plan for controlling the problem (integration of all possible means to achieve good, cheap and safe pest control)