Comparative efficacy of four triple bagging for maize preservation against the larger grain borer in Burkina Faso.

Abstract

This study aims at comparing the performance of triple bagging mets in Burkina Faso for the conservation of maize grains. Four triple bagging (PICS, ETONG, PAPSA and FAO) and polypropylene bags (control) were assessed. The study consisted of conditioning in each bag, 25 kg of maize grain artificially infested with 100 individuals of P. truncatus adults newly emerged during six months under ambient laboratory conditions. We had 4 replications for each bag. The results show that at the end of this period, 92 to 98% of P. truncatus adults had died in the all triple bagging compared to the control (polypropylene bag). In triple bagging, grain perforation rate (7 à 16%), weight losses (1 à 2%) and the weight of the farinaceous debris (1 à 4%) caused by insects do not differ from each other, but were lower than those observed in polypropylene bags. Inner and outer bag perforations caused by P. truncatus did not vary in the triple bagging. Compared to the initial situation, the germination rate of maize seeds has dropped significantly by 22-33% in FAO, ETONG and PICS bags, which do not differ from each other, and by 64% in PAPSA and polypropylene bags, which also do not differ from each other.