Efficacy of Processing Selected Dried Chips with Fermented Maize Water and Lime Juice on Infestation and Damage by Araecerus fasciculatus

Abstract

The Coffee Bean Weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus), Degeer (Coleoptera Anthribidae), is an important pest causing economic damage to several stored produce including cocoa, coffee, dried cassava chips and yams in Nigeria. The usage of synthetic insecticide proved to be effective to control these pests to a greater extent but its usage poses health and ecological problems to man and the environment. There is a need to source for eco-friendly, safe,readilyavailableandeffectivepest controlmeasures.There isapaucityofinformation on the usage of fermented maize water and lime juice on the management of storage pests, especially A. fasciculatus. The bioactivities of fermented maize water (FMW) and lime juice (LJ) on A. fasciculatus in stored cassava, potato, yam, and plantain chips were investigated. Different concentration levels of FMW and LJ was prepared and applied on the chips appropriately. The setup was arranged in a completely randomized design in the laboratory and replicated four times. Data were collected on developmental period, adult longevity and percentage damage. Results showed the potency of FMW and LJ to be dose dependent. The FMW and LJ were found to delay the developmental period and shorten adult longevity of A. fasciculatus. Regardless of the FMW and LJ treatment combination level, they significantly reduce the level of damage of A. fasciculatus on chips. The results suggest that processed chips were protected against the Coffee Bean Weevil attack, reducing the level of damage, therefore their application can be scaled up and incorporated into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices