Plant aqueous extracts to Control Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) Infestation during Rice and Wheat storage

The present research describes the utilization of plant aqueous extracts for more sustainable and safe management red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst); a highly concerned pest of stored rice and wheat grains in tropical and subtropical regions. The aqueous extracts of selected parts of Nigella sative, Coriandrum sativum, Ocimum basilicum, Neriwn oleander, Tamarindus indica, Chrysanthemum indicum, Linum usitatissimum, Myristica fragrans, Citrullus colocythis, and Musa acuminate plants were prepared by simple orbital type shaking and tested for their repellent and insecticidal activities. Besides, the phytochemical constituents and phenolic acids were identified by various spectroscopic assays and RP-HPLC-DAD analysis, respectively. The initial screening revealed that the aqueous extracts of Myristica fragrans nutmeg, Citrullus colocythis leave, Coriandrum sativum leaves Ocimum basilicum can exhibit the insect repellent potential of about 86.66% when applied at or above 1000 µg/ml for 24 h. It was interesting to note that the similar concentration of aqueous extracts of Myristica fragrans nutmeg, Citrullus colocythis (leaves), and Coriandrum sativum (leaves) caused 100% percent mortality of red flour beetle at the end of seven days under ideal growth conditions (28 ± 2° C and 70 ± 5% RH). Overall, the aqueous extracts of Myristica fragrans nutmeg and Citrullus colocythis leaves were found to be more potential candidates for the sustainable management of Tribolium castaneum during post-harvest storage of wheat and rice grains.