Browsing by Author "Hunegnaw Fentaw"

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    The Status of Stored Maize Grain Insect Pests in Goncha Siso Enesie District, East Gojjam, Northwest Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-04) Hunegnaw Fentaw; Emana Getu
    Maize (Zea mays L.), is an important cereal crop in Ethiopia, which is used for the purpose of food for humans and feed for animals. It is also one of the most suitable food and cereal crops supplying energy for the eaters and profit for commerce man. The study on the status of stored maize grain insect pests in Gonch Siso Enese was carried out from August 2022 to August 2023. The main objective of this study was to assess the status of stored maize grain insect pest in Goncha Siso Enesie, Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 130 respondents were randomly selected from 12 kebeles for data collection through questionnaire, interview and observations. Seed samples were collected from 40 storages each consisted 250g of maize grains to identify insect pests associated to maize grains and the grain damage and weight loss due to these insect pests. The seed samples were collected over three periods at two months intervals beginning after two to six months storage. Data were analyzed and interpreted by qualitative and quantitative methods. Mean grain damage and weight loss were analyzed using excel and one way ANOVA in SSPSS. All respondents use traditional maize storage methods such as Mamma, Gotera, Kot and sacks. Farmers face insect pest problems in all the storage methods. Kot in living house and mamma were more vulnerable to insect pests. Gotera was moderate and sacks with pesticides were the slightest to be infested by insect pests. The major insect pests that infested stored maize grains were maize weevil (Sitophylus zaemais Motschulsky), Angoumois grain moth (Sitotroga cerealella Olivier) and red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst). Maize weevils (57.32%) and Angoumois grain moth (31.17%) were the most abundant primary pests, while red flour beetles (10.25%) were the least abundant and secondary insect pests. The mean maize grain damage after two, four and six month storage due to insect pests were 6.13%, 13.88% and 41.55% and mean weight losses were -11.89%, -5.57% and 5.71%, respectively . Grain damage and weight loss increased as storage periods increased. The present study indicated that farmers in the study area stored their maize in traditional storage structures that are susceptible to insect pests such as maize weevils, Angoumois grain moths and red flour beetles that caused grain damage and loss and the study recommended that need to create awareness for farmers to use improved and modern storage structures to enhance maize storage periods.