Evaluating Pesticide Resistance in Red Flour Beetle Populations: Significance for Food Security
Keywords:
Red Flour Beetle, Botanical Pesticides, Mortality, EfficacyAbstract
The Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum H.) is a cosmopolitan pest of stored grains and cereals. This pest develops rapidly under favorable conditions in storage facilities such as warehouses, mills, and flour depots, affecting the quality of flour, causing significant economic loss, and threatening food security. The purpose of this study is to assess the resistance and efficacy of red flour beetle. The present study will play a very crucial role in the principle of integrated pest management (IPM), which enhances food security. Botanical pesticides Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica), AK or Milkweed (Calotropis gigantean) powder, Lemon Tree (Citrus limetta), and Babur/Kikar (Acacia nilotica) were evaluated. Neem recorded the highest mortality rate (20%), followed by (12%), lemon (11%), and the lowest Babur (9). The differences between the group means are statistically significant. P-value (0.00177) showed a low p-value (<0.05). A higher F-value suggests greater disparity between group means. F-value. Since 9.421769 > 3.490295, the differences between the groups are significant. The mortality rate is directly proportional to the increased dose. The neem appears to be the most effective, with the highest mortality rate of 20% at 20 g. Babur, on the other hand, has the lowest mortality rate, starting at just 2% at 5 g.
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