Inert Dusts -Better Alternatives for the Management of Angoumois Grain Moth, Sitotroga cerealella in Stored Rice

The efficacy of different indigenous inert materials viz. , Cow dung cake ash, Paddy husk ash, and two commercially available diatomaceous earth formulations viz. , diatomaceous earth and indispron P406 @ 2.5g and 5 g /kg seed were evaluated against stored grain pests of rice. The freshly harvested rice with high germinability and vigor was treated with these inert materials and kept under ambient conditions for further storability studies. Among the different inert materials, indispron P406 @ 2.5 and 5g/kg and diatomaceous earth @ 5g/kg were found to be effective against sitotroga cerealella upto Twelve months of storage of rice with less insect damage (80 %) in the indispron P406 treated rice seeds. These eco-friendly inert dusts can be recommended as seed protectants to save the rice seed against stored grain pests for longer periods.