Environmental and safety concerns have created a global drive towards reduction in pesticide use and subsequent withdrawal of some that are considered hazardous, hence increasing the pressure to seek alternatives; and grain protectants have not been spared. Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have repeatedly indicated their concerns about the safety of synthetic insecticides for grain protection. The use of diatomaceous earths (DEs) is one option that has been identified by research as a possible alternative. However, the operationalisation of the DE technology is still constrained by a number of factors including: product availability; product stewardship; applicability on cob maize; high humidity in some parts of SSA which renders the DEs less effective; occurrence of the Larger Grain Borer, Prostephanus truncatus in some countries which requires higher concentrations of DEs for effective control; and grain marketing standards in central storage systems which need to be revised. This paper discusses these challenges in a scenario where on-farm grain storage for household food security will continue to characterise small-scale farming in SSA; more so with the marketing liberalisation era and frequent droughts in some parts of Africa. At commercial level, the withdrawal of methyl bromide means that central storage systems need to consider other grain protection methods in addition to phosphine; such as use of DEs.

Challenges of grain protection in sub-Saharan Africa: the case of diatomaceous earths - powerpoint presentation, Food Africa International Working Meeting, Palais des Congres, Yaounde, Carmeroon. 5-9 May 2003. [140 participants from 30 countries].

Expression of the Arcelin 1 gene from Phaseolus vulgaris L. in cowpea seeds (Vigna unguiculata L.) confers bruchid resistance

Pulses are also known as “Poor man’s meat, Pulses are an important part of the vegetarian diet of Indian subcontinent, being a rich source of protein (20–30 %) and high nutritional value, offer the most practical means of solving malnutrition in our country International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 6 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Botanicals as Eco-Friendly Biorational Alternatives of Bio Insecticide against Callosobruchus Maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Stored

In the present investigation, essential oil (EO) of Ocimum tenuiflorum and its principal constituent (eugenol) was evaluated for its toxicity and mode of action against Callosobruchus maculatus. Furthermore, fumigant toxicity and germination studies on the application of O. tenuiflorum EO and eugenol against C. maculatus on different pulses was also studied. Fumigant activity studies revealed that EO toxicity was significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by concentration and exposure time. In fumigant toxicity assay without food, O. tenuiflorum EO and eugenol showed LC50 value of 278.6 and 256.5 µL/L air, respectively, at one hour exposure. Further, O. tenuiflorum EO displayed fumigant toxicity via inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity. Pulses treated with O. tenuiflorum EO showed 70% of C. maculatus mortality at 250 µL/L air concentration after 24 h. Furthermore, these treatments didn’t affect the seed viability of the pulses tested. Hence, the application of O. tenuiflorum EO has potential scope as a botanical insecticide.

Efficacy of Ocimum tenuiflorum essential oil as grain protectant against coleopteran beetle, infesting stored pulses.

The action of proteases can be controlled by several mechanisms, including regulation through gene expression; post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation; zymogen activation; targeting specific compartments, such as lysosomes and mitochondria; and blocking proteolysis using endogenous inhibitors. Protease inhibitors are important molecules to be explored for the control of proteolytic processes in organisms because of their ability to act on several proteases. In this context, plants synthesize numerous proteins that contribute to protection against attacks by microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) and/or invertebrates (insects and nematodes) through the inhibition of proteases in these organisms. These proteins are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, and are present in higher concentrations in legume seeds (compared to other organs and other botanical families), motivating studies on their inhibitory effects in various organisms, including humans. In most cases, the biological roles of these proteins have been assigned based mostly on their in vitro action, as is the case with enzyme inhibitors. This review highlights the structural evolution, function, and wide variety of effects of plant Kunitz protease inhibitors, and their potential for pharmaceutical application based on their interactions with different proteases.

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Plant Kunitz Inhibitors and Their Interaction with Proteases: Current and Potential Pharmacological Targets

Cowpea is an essential food legume in the tropics and particularly for sub-Saharan African populations Postharvest grain storage, however, is a major constraint for crop expansion and year-round availability due to the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus F, the main storage pest of cowpeas in West Africa The use of chemicals for cowpea storage is a common practice which represents, however, a risk for consumers, environment, and could also exacerbate pest control In Burkina Faso, since the early 2000s, several scientific investigations have focused on the control of C maculatus using botanicals considered as promising and safe alternatives to chemicals The aim of this review is to take stock of the research conducted and to identify the potential candidates on which future studies in this field will focus The set of data analyzed show that several plants materials, including powders, crushed plants and essential oils (EO), were active against eggs, larvae, and adults of C maculatus, through dose-dependent mortality responses However, EO extracted from native aromatic plants have yielded the most promising results, specifically EO from Ocimum canum appeared as the best candidate control agent Other potentially interested EO tested included Hyptis suaveolens, Hyptis spicigera, and Lippia multiflora Based on these results, attempts to optimize the use of EO for cowpea storage were conducted in laboratory and field conditions Side effects of botanicals toward the main biological control agent, the ectoparasitoid Dinarmus basalis have also been highlighted The results are discussed in a view of practical use of botanicals and EO as safe alternatives for Integrated Pest Management in stored cowpeas in Africa and developing countries

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1179543318790260

Potential of Botanicals to Control Callosobruchus maculatus (Col.: Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae), a Major Pest of Stored Cowpeas in Burkina Faso: A Review.

Dabire-Binso Clémentine L

Papers

Potential of Botanicals to Control Callosobruchus maculatus (Col.: Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae), a Major Pest of Stored Cowpeas in Burkina Faso: A Review.