FUMIGANT TOXICITY OF SOME PLANT VOLATILE OILS AGAINST STORED GRAIN WEEVILS

Cereal grains considered one of the most important crops in Egypt and all over the world, these stored grains are infested with many insects that reduce their economic value and cause a significant problem for food security. The current study aimed to protect stored grains from infestation of different weevil species using plant oils as fumigants. Six plant volatile oils i.e., Garlic, Clove, Peppermint, Orange, Onion, and Camphor were used to determine the fumigant toxicity of oils the adults of Sitophilus granaries, Sitophilus zeamais and Sitophilus oryzae,as well as, percentages of total protein and total carbohydrates were determined in both healthy and infested seeds. The results indicated that Camphor 2.0 %, Orang 2% and Peppermint 2.0 %, respectively, were the most effective oils against the tested insects. The number of died Sitophilus granaries per 80 insects reached 74, 73 and 70 insect for Camphor 2.0 %, Orang 2% and Peppermint 2.0 %, respectively, after 10 day of application, while in S. zeamais were 72, 73 and 70 insect, respectively. The number of died S. oryzae per 80 insects recorded 78, 77 and 74 insect, respectively. The results also showed that the total protein and total carbohydrates were greatly affected by the infestation of insects. Finally, the fumigation with plant essential oils could be used as safe insecticide against stored product insects alternative to chemical pesticides.