Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study
Ethiopian subsistence farmers traditionally store their grain harvests, leaving them open to storage pests and fungi that can cause contamination of major staple crops. Applying the most effective strategy requires a precise understanding of the insect species, infestation rates, storage losses, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/11/1068 |
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| author | Muez Berhe Bhadriraju Subramanyam Mekasha Chichaybelu Girma Demissie Fetien Abay Jagger Harvey |
| author_facet | Muez Berhe Bhadriraju Subramanyam Mekasha Chichaybelu Girma Demissie Fetien Abay Jagger Harvey |
| author_sort | Muez Berhe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ethiopian subsistence farmers traditionally store their grain harvests, leaving them open to storage pests and fungi that can cause contamination of major staple crops. Applying the most effective strategy requires a precise understanding of the insect species, infestation rates, storage losses, and storage conditions in the various types of farmers’ grain stores. This study did a complete literature analysis on post-harvest pest and management measures with a focus on Ethiopia. The most frequent insect pests of stored cereals in this study were weevils (<i>Sitophilus</i> spp.), the lesser grain borer (<i>Rhyzopertha dominica</i>), rust-red flour beetle (<i>Tribolium</i> sp.), sawtoothed grain beetle (<i>Oryzaephilus</i> sp.), grain beetle (<i>Cryptolestes</i> spp.), Indian meal moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>), and Angoumois grain moth (<i>Sitotroga cerealella</i>). Flour beetles (<i>Tribolium</i> spp.), sawtoothed beetles (<i>Oryzaephilus</i> sp.), flat grain beetles (<i>Cryptolestes pusillus</i>), and some moths have been identified as common stored product pests of stored oil seed, while bruchid beetles (<i>Callosobruchus chinensis</i>) and the moths were reported for pulses. Additionally, the storage pests in Ethiopia under varied conditions caused storage losses of 9–64.5%, 13–95%, 36.9–51.9%, and 2–94.7% in maize, sorghum, chickpeas, and sesame, respectively. To reduce the losses incurred, preventative measures can be taken before infestations or as soon as infestations are discovered. A variety of pest population monitoring systems for harvested products and retailers have been developed and recommended. In this context, reducing post-harvest grain losses is an urgent concern for improving food accessibility and availability for many smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and ensuring the nation’s long-term food security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:15:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ba461b45a224ba48972b866ee07fbcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:15:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ba461b45a224ba48972b866ee07fbcd2023-11-24T08:46:26ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502022-11-011311106810.3390/insects13111068Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case StudyMuez Berhe0Bhadriraju Subramanyam1Mekasha Chichaybelu2Girma Demissie3Fetien Abay4Jagger Harvey5Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 62, Mekelle 5637, EthiopiaDepartment of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USADebre-Zeyt Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa 2003, EthiopiaBako Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, Addis Ababa 2003, EthiopiaDepartment of Dryland Crop and Horticultural Science, Mekelle University, Mekelle 231, EthiopiaFeed the Future Innovation Lab for Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAEthiopian subsistence farmers traditionally store their grain harvests, leaving them open to storage pests and fungi that can cause contamination of major staple crops. Applying the most effective strategy requires a precise understanding of the insect species, infestation rates, storage losses, and storage conditions in the various types of farmers’ grain stores. This study did a complete literature analysis on post-harvest pest and management measures with a focus on Ethiopia. The most frequent insect pests of stored cereals in this study were weevils (<i>Sitophilus</i> spp.), the lesser grain borer (<i>Rhyzopertha dominica</i>), rust-red flour beetle (<i>Tribolium</i> sp.), sawtoothed grain beetle (<i>Oryzaephilus</i> sp.), grain beetle (<i>Cryptolestes</i> spp.), Indian meal moth (<i>Plodia interpunctella</i>), and Angoumois grain moth (<i>Sitotroga cerealella</i>). Flour beetles (<i>Tribolium</i> spp.), sawtoothed beetles (<i>Oryzaephilus</i> sp.), flat grain beetles (<i>Cryptolestes pusillus</i>), and some moths have been identified as common stored product pests of stored oil seed, while bruchid beetles (<i>Callosobruchus chinensis</i>) and the moths were reported for pulses. Additionally, the storage pests in Ethiopia under varied conditions caused storage losses of 9–64.5%, 13–95%, 36.9–51.9%, and 2–94.7% in maize, sorghum, chickpeas, and sesame, respectively. To reduce the losses incurred, preventative measures can be taken before infestations or as soon as infestations are discovered. A variety of pest population monitoring systems for harvested products and retailers have been developed and recommended. In this context, reducing post-harvest grain losses is an urgent concern for improving food accessibility and availability for many smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and ensuring the nation’s long-term food security.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/11/1068Ethiopiastored commoditiespost-harvest practicesstorage pestsstorage lossespest management options |
| spellingShingle | Muez Berhe Bhadriraju Subramanyam Mekasha Chichaybelu Girma Demissie Fetien Abay Jagger Harvey Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study Insects Ethiopia stored commodities post-harvest practices storage pests storage losses pest management options |
| title | Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study |
| title_full | Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study |
| title_short | Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study |
| title_sort | post harvest insect pests and their management practices for major food and export crops in east africa an ethiopian case study |
| topic | Ethiopia stored commodities post-harvest practices storage pests storage losses pest management options |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/11/1068 |
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