1Indian Agricultural Research Institute Academic Hub, Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur440010, Maharashtra, India
2S M C Polytechnic in Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand388110, Gujarat, India
3Main Rice Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Nawagam387540, Gujarat, India
*Email: vivekadhikarimannar@gmail.com (corresponding author)
Management of the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius), was studied on wheat variety LOK-1 under ambient conditions using four non-edible oils (castor, neem, karanj, eucalyptus) and their nano-emulsions at 1 ml /100 g seeds, assessing adult mortality, adult emergence, and seed germination loss. All nano-emulsions exhibited stable physicochemical properties, including hydrodynamic size, zeta potential, kilo count/ sec, and polydispersity index. Neem oil nano-emulsion recorded the highest adult mortality (46.91%), compared to 0.01% in the control. After 6 months, the lowest adult emergence occurred in neem oil nano-emulsion (40.20 adults) compared to 350.44 adults in the control. Eucalyptus oil nano-emulsion caused the least germination loss (7.98%), while neem oil resulted in the highest (29.73%). These results demonstrate the efficacy of nano-emulsions, particularly neem-based formulations, in managing R dominica in stored wheat and offer comparative insights into the performance of oils and nano-emulsions in enhancing grain protection and minimizing post-harvest losses.
Lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica, nano emulsions, wheat, storage pest, grain protectants, post-harvest loss, germination loss, neem oil
