Recent Development and Review on Botanicals from Plants to Stored Grains

There have been numerous reports of insect infestations being connected to grains that have been stored. Almost all species multiply at astonishingly fast rates and may even reproduce sexually. About 10-15% of the grain is destroyed, and the remaining portion is tainted with unpleasant smells and scents. Beetles (Callosobrunchus sp., Trogoderma granarium, and Tribolium confusum), weevils (Sitophilus oryzae, S. granarius, etc.), moths (Corcyra cephalonica), rats, and weevils are the main pests of stored grains. Botanical extracts have antifeedant and arrestant properties, kill and repel pests, and have an impact on insect growth and development. The indiscriminate and ongoing use of pesticides has resulted in the accumulation of hazardous residues on food grains used for human consumption as well as the emergence of resistant breeds of pests.

Recently, attention has been focused on using plant products as a novel strategy for protecting grains in many parts of the world. The bioactivity of plant derivatives against several pests found in storage has already been reported in numerous scientific literature. Because of their generally safe antimicrobial properties, higher plants like neem have also been utilized as antibacterials against storage pests.

People have utilized a variety of herbs and spices (such as turmeric, garlic, and cloves, among others) to manage storage pests. Plant-based products might be able to address issues with synthetic pesticides like resistance, cost, availability, and health hazards. More study is required to determine the effectiveness of biocontrol and the practical applicability of botanical insecticides. It is important to do biosafety studies to determine how dangerous they are to people, animals, and crop plants.

As different insect life stages cause financial harm and degrade the quality of food grains and food products, infestation of stored grains is a highly important issue.

Due to unmanaged environmental conditions and subpar warehousing technologies, numerous stored grain insect pests infest food grains in farmer stores and public warehouses. However, very specific and more suitable current measures should be applied to control the expanding insect population.

Since the beginning of time, botanicals have been employed to protect stored goods from prevalent pests. By acting as chemosterilants or insect growth and development inhibitors, they operate as repellents, anti feedants, toxicants, and natural grain protectants.