REPELLANT AND INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITIES USING MEDICINAL PLANT OF GLIRICIDIASEPIUM (Jacq.) STORED PEST OF SITOPHILUS GRANARIUS(Linn.) (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE)

Methods for producing food and other resources, as well as storing them for future use, have vastly improved during the previous 10,000 years or more as human civilization has progressed. Furthermore, significant population expansion and rising life expectancy and industrialization have resulted in the progressive loss of arable land to make way for homes, industry, and transportation during the previous several centuries. Chemical pesticides applied in the warehouses are effectively control the insect pests of stored grain. Still, their residues on grains enter into the human system on consumption and causing severe physiological disturbances. Hence, in the present investigation, the various solvent extracts of the naturally available plant Gliricidiasepium was tested against the granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius. The stock culture of Sitophilus granarius was obtained from the Entomology Research Unit insectarium and used in the present experiment. Different solvent extracts, i.e., hexane, chloroform and ethanol, were used for crude extraction of G.sepium. All the extracts were tested individually with varying concentrations against the granary weevil. Results recorded from the present experiments showed that ethanol extract of G.sepiumwas more effective than the other solvents. The maximum repellent activity of 93.7%, and the insecticidal activity was noted 69.8% in 72hrs against S.granarius. The study recommended usingG. sepium for effective control of S.granarius as an alternative agent to synthetic pesticides.