Effectiveness of bagasse and rice straw ashes against postharvest pest, Sitophilus zeamais on maize seed

Abstract

Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the main pest on maize seed in the storage. In general, postharvest pest control uses synthetic insecticides. However, the use of these synthetic insecticides causes insect resistance and negative impact on human health. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of rice straw and bagasse ashes as inert dust in postharvest pest management of S. zeamais. This study was conducted at the Laboratory of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Hasanuddin. This study used two treatments with four different doses i.e., 2, 4, 6, 8 g, and untreated (control). The results showed that complete (100%) of adult mortality at highest dose (8 g/kg seed) of bagasse ash in three days after infestation, while in the higher doses (6 and 8 g/kg seed) of rice straw ash killed 99.15%. The use of inert dust also causes typical symptoms in mortality in the form of wings coming out of the elytra, which is different from adult mortality without treatment.