EFFECTIVENESS OF NEEM AND GARLIC EXTRACTS IN THE CONTROL OF

STORAGE PESTS OF CEREAL GRAINS

F.M. Onu maduekefrancis@gmail.com M.E. Ikehi Michael.ikehi.p114340@unn.edu.ng

Agricultural Unit, Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, Nigeria.

Abstract

Though synthetic insecticides have being in use since 1950s and of great help since inception,
the adverse effects on human, non-target organisms and the environment has became of great
concern. The concerns have made some countries to ban the use of some pesticides in a view to
protect the ecosystem. It is evident that some plants posses insecticidal properties thus could be
consider as natural suitable replacement for synthetic chemicals used in the control of pests. The
study experimented on the repellence and control effectiveness of both neem and garlic extracts
on storage pests of maize, rice and beans. The research also studied the effects of the extracts on
progeny emergence from the treated grains as well as consumption safety of the treated grains.
The findings of the study revealed that the extracts of neem, garlic and neem-garlic mixture used
are effective in controlling the insect pests of stored grains. There were differences in the mean
and percentage repellence, mortality and progeny emergence rates of insects in the grains. Result
showed that a mixture of both extracts was the most effective control for the storage pests of
maize, rice and beans with death record of 100% for Sitophilus z. and Sitophilus o. and 95% for
Callosobruchus m. within 5 treatment days. The treated grains were found to be safe for
consumption. The study thus report neem (Azadirachta indica L.) and garlic (Allum sativum)
extracts as suitable treatment of stored grains against their storage pests.
Keywords: Storage pest, Pesticide, Grains, Neem, Garlic, Extracts, Progeny, Pest Control. 1.1

INTRODUCTION
Insects are always present in field crops during cultivation and in storage of the produce, and
can have a huge economic lose in production. Control of storage pests of agricultural products
largely depend on synthetic pesticides, which has been widely since inception in 1950s. Over
time, many of these chemicals have become extremely pervasive in the environment, in some
cases, in consumed food as a result of their widespread repeated use (Allsopp et al., 2014, 2015).
In spite of their efficacy, their repeated use for several decades have disrupted biological control
systems, which have led to outbreaks of resistant insect pests, undesired effects on non-target
organisms and environmental and human concerns. There have been notable concerns on the
persistent use of synthetic chemicals for pest control bearing direct adverse effects on humans,
wildlife, aquatic life and the environment at large (Rauh et al., 2011; Huen et al., 2012; Koureas
et al., 2012; Köhler and Triebskorn, 2013; Muñoz-Quezada et al., 2013; Baltazar et al., 2014;
Mills and Shah, 2014; Perry et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014; Yuan et al., 2014; Meyer-Baron et
al., 2015; Guyton et al., 2015). Apart from the negative effects of synthetic insecticides, in most
remote rural areas their availability is unreliable, and are frequently adulterated (diluted to
ineffective concentrations by unscrupulous traders), outdated (owing to their toxicity to people
and the environment), and ineffective owing to rapid evolution of pesticide resistance
(Stevenson, 2014). Exploring the potential to utilise the pesticidal properties of plants has
become a key focus of research in pest control. Some plants are known to contain bioactive
metabolites, which show antifeedant, repellent and toxic effects on a wide range of insect pests
(Mondal and Khalequzzaman, 2010; Anyanga et al., 2013; Stevenson, 2014). Many plants can
protect themselves against insects by producing their own chemical defences that are toxic or
repellent (Stevenson, 2014). The consideration for the use of extracts of plants origin is that they
are easily biodegradable, effective on some pests and considered safe in pest control operations
as they minimize pesticide residues, ensure safety of the consumers of the treated grains and the
environment. Further, the production of organic extracts of plant origin for pest control may be
easier and less expensive than the synthesis of some complex chemical formations (Shadia,
2011; Amoabeng et al., 2014; Grzywacz et al., 2014). Examples of these important bioactive
plants are catnip, basil, artemisia, borage, dahlia, ginger, hyssop, chrysanthemum, lime, black
pepper, clove, neem and garlic, and a host of others. These plants are known to contain organic
compounds which possess bio-pesticidal properties in their bioactive components. Pest control or
repelling organic extracts of plant origin offer protection with minimal impacts on the ecosystem
and repel the insect pests from the treated materials by stimulating receptors (such as the
olfactory receptor) of the insect. Repellent when effective causes the target pest to make an
oriented movement away from the source of stimulus, and in cases where escape is not possible,
over stimulation of the receptors leads to death of the pest. Plant extracts in powder or essential
oil form from different bioactive plants are known to be effective repellents against different
economic storage pests of grains, even for stored cereals (Owusu, 2001; Khan and Gumbs,
2003). Cereals such as wheat, maize and rice, together comprise at least 75% of the world grain
production and they are among the world‘s most important staple foods (Food and Agricultural
Organization, 2008). They constitute the major sources of food in the world and are usually
seasonally cultivated with single harvesting per year in some regions. With the seasonality of
cultivation, preservation is of high importance ensure sustenance of their economic value,
continuous supply at stable price and maintain their nutritional value. Post- harvest losses are
recognized as a major constraint in Africa, with storage damage sometimes as high as 40%. For
example, nearly US$4 billion of the staple food, ‗maize‘ is lost annually in Africa to insects
(Stevenson, 2014). Storage pests are organisms which cause economic and/or nutritional damage
to stored grains by breeding in/on the grains. However, some of the insect pests do not breed on
the grains but their presence in the store becomes harmful as they generate filth, noxious smell
and general contamination such as segment and hair debris, excreta and other waste products.
The increasing public concern over chemical pesticide safety and possible damage to the
environment has resulted in increasing attention being given to natural products of mostly plant
origin for the control of storage pests, globally. This study thus focused on determining the
effectiveness of neem and garlic extracts in the control of storage pest of some grains such as
rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays) and beans (Vigna unguiculata). Specifically, the study
focused on; 1. The repellence effectiveness of neem , garlic and neem-garlic extracts 2. The
control effectiveness of neem, garlic and neem-garlic extracts 3. Progeny emergency of storage
pests from stored grains treated with neem, garlic and neem-garlic extracts 4. Health concerns of
consuming grains treated with neem, garlic and neem-garlic extracts. 2.1 MATERIALS AND
METHODS The study adopted experimental design and was conducted at Agricultural
laboratory of the Agric Unit of the Department of Vocational Teacher Education, at the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The study spanned from June, 2014 to April, 2015. 2.1.1 Plant
Materials The plants used were neem (Azadirachta indica L.) and garlic (Allum sativum). 2.1.1.1
Neem The neem tree (Azadirachta indica L.) is a tropical evergreen plant with wide adaptability
and known resistance to insect infestation (Oparaeke et al., 2006). The tree is known to possess
some compounds such as limonoids, which gives it a bitter taste while the principal bioactive
content, Azadirachtin, is a repellent and anti-feedant to many insects (Kausik et al., 2002;
Oparaeke et al., 2006; Tomar et al., 2011; Ruchi et al., 2014; Shanmugapriyan & Dhanalakshmi,
2015). To avoid poisoning of any kind, mature/ripe kernel of Azaidrachta, which has a greenish
yellow colour was used, and were plucked directly from the tree as suggested by Oparaeke et al.
(2006) and Salako (2008). 2.1.1.2 Garlic Garlic (Allum sativum) is widely known for its anti-
microbial potentials. Garlic extract (oil and powder) contains active components, such as Amino
acid called alicin and an enzyme called allinase. These compounds are antibiotic, which are
effective against some range of bacterial and fungal species and have been a useful plant in food
storage to inhibit fungal activities (Stoll, 1988). However, Garlic extract also has insecticidal
properties and show considerable toxicity to a number of pest pecies, across all life stages
(Prowse et al., 2006; Kazem and El-Shereif, 2010; Mousa et al., 2013; Aziza and Asma, 2015).
2.1.1.3 Plant Extracts Ripe neem kernel and garlic bulb were obtained fresh from the
surrounding environment. The plants parts were air-dried under shade at an ambient tropical
condition to avoid photo degradation of active ingredient by ultra-violet ray in line with the
recommendation of Salako (2008). The air-dried materials were then grinded into fine powder
using grinding machine and sieved with a 10mm sieve. The extracts were neem, garlic and
neem-garlic. The fine plants powders were then kept in air-tight containers until required. 2.1.2
Materials Used Materials used included an electronic weighing balance; transparent glass jars;
transparent improvised double glass jars with a connecting duct; tray; muslin cloth; 10mm serve.
The weighing balance was used to measure the powder extracts, the glass jars were used for
culturing of the insects and for housing the treated grains and insect pest during the experiment,
the muslin cloth prevented the insect pests from escaping while allowing ventilation. The tray
was used as a container for drying the extracts and the 10mm sieve was used to sieve the extracts
to obtain fine powder of the extracts. 2.1.3 Preparation of Insect Culture The parent stock of
Sitophilus zeamais (motschulsky), Callosobruchus maculates and Sitophilus oryzea were
obtained from infested grains. The insects were cultured under ambient temperature of 28±2oC
and 75±5% relative humidity. The food media for the insect culture were maize for Sitophilus z.,
beans for Callosobruchus m. and rice for Sitophilus o. One kilogram (1kg) of each food medium
was weighed into three different glass jars. Forty adult insect pests of each grain were introduced
into each culturing medium. The culturing spanned for 45 days and at the end, over 200 adults of
each insect pests emerged. Eighty (80) adults of each insect pest were randomly selected for the
study. 2.1.4 Treatment of Samples (Insect Bioassay) Twety-five gram (25g) portion of each plant
powder corresponding to 25.0% volume per weight (v/w) concentration were weighed and each
added to 100g of clean undamaged and uninfected maize, rice and beans respectively in
transparent glass jars. To ensure uninfestation, the grains for the experiment were kept in a deep
freezer at freezing point for 72 hours in order to disrupt the life cycles of the pests, as the eggs
are particularly sensitive to cold temperature (Koehler, 2003). The containers with their content
(each treatment plus grain) were then shaken gently to ensure thorough mixture of the grains and
the treatment powders. Twenty (20) adult insect pests of each grain (harvested from the culture)
were introduced to each experimental glass jar and covered with the muslin cloth. Three (3)
replicates of each treatment and one (1) control were laid out in random order, and the average
observations from the triplicates were reported. The essence of making the tests in triplicate for
the experimental groups was to help adjust for extraneous variables that may be particular to a
replicate. 2.1.5 Method of Data Collection The data for the study were collected based on field
experimental research principles through observation (visual inspection). The adult migration or
mortality within 24 hours were noted for 5 days and on the fifth day the entire insects (both dead
and alive) were separated and removed from the treated grains. The grains from the triplicate of
each grain were mixed together, placed in containers covered with muslin cloth, and kept for six
weeks (45 days) for progeny test. At the end of the progeny test, the treated grains were grinded
and mixed with poultry feed and fed to stocked chicks for two (2) months to test for safety of the
treated grains when consumed. 2.1.5.1 Test for Repellence To test for repellence of each extract,
improvised double glass jars with a connecting duct was used in two methods: A. The treated
grains were placed in one side of the glass jar while the insect pests for each grain were
introduced in the other side of the double glass jar (with a connecting passage – glass tube) to
observe migration to food and oviposting source. The treated grains and the pest were placed
together in one side of the double glass jar while the other glass was clean, untreated and
completely empty. 2.1.5.2 Test for Control of the Pests by the Extracts The treated grains and
each corresponding pest were placed together in a single transparent glass jar and the death rate
per day was observed and recorded for five (5) days. 2.1.5.3 Progeny Emergence Test The
treated grains and the control were kept in containers in conducive culture conditions for 45
days. At the end of the culture period, the number of emergent insect pest for each treated grain
and the control were recorded and reported in bar chart. 2.1.5.4 Test for Consumption Safety of
the Treated Grains The treated grains, after progeny tests, were grinded and mixed (at 50-50%)
with regular feeds for stocked poultry. All grains (beans, maize and rice) treated with neem
extract were combined and grinded together. Same was done for garlic and neem-garlic treated
grains and the non-treated grains (control). Thus were referred to as neem-feed (NF), garlic-feed
(GF), neem-garlic feed (NGF) and non-treated feed (NTF) respectively. The stocked birds were
not vaccinated but were however kept away from possible contamination/infection as best
possible. The birds were kept in four different compartments for the three treatments and a
control group, ten (10) birds each. Each mixed feed was fed to different group twice in a week.
Growth rate, activeness and dump colouration were recorded for each group. The a-day old
chicks were kept for 2 months and feeds mixed with the treated and non-treated grains (feeds) for
the experimental and control groups (respectively) were administered regularly. Activeness was
weekly measured using an observation rating scale (see the Table at Appendix). 2.1.6 Method of
Data Analysis Mean and percentage were used for data analysis. Percentages and mean
mortality/migration rate of adult insect pest which occurred was calculated and the number of
progeny that emerged from the treated grains after six (6) weeks were reported. Data were
presented in tables and figures (bar chart and graph). 3.1 RESULTS 3.1.1 Test for Repellence
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