Abstract:
A market survey was carried out between October 2001 and April 2002 to
determine insect pests associated with maize sold in the market and the
knowledge base of local maize traders on these pests. The persistence of
the pests from the field through storage (in cribs) to the markets was also
investigated. Two Quality Protein Maize (QPM) and two local maize
varieties were used in a further study to determine varietal susceptibilities,
under field and laboratory conditions, and moisture content preferences of
various SIP. Effort was also made to identify common wild plant seeds
that could serve as alternative hosts. Traders purchase and store small
quantities for short periods due to lack of capital, fear of destruction by
pests and mould growth. Sitophilus sp. was the commonest pest identified
by traders and was ranked as the most destructive. The susceptibility of
improved maize varieties, as claimed by traders was confirmed by results
of common susceptibility parameters conducted with Sitophilus sp. as the
test insect. The varieties were however similar in other susceptibility
parameters. Most insect pests infested maize from the field but a few
persisted through storage to the markets as moisture content fell to 12%.
These pests included Ahasverus sp., Catharlus sp., Sitophilus sp.,
Tribolium sp., Mussidia sp. and Cryptophlebia sp. Seeds of five out of
twenty wild plants were found to serve as alternative hosts to only one
SIP, Araecerus sp.
