Effect of Phosphine and Methyl Bromide Fumiganon on Eggs and Larvae of Rice Moth Corcyra Cepha-Lonica S. A Common Stored Grain Pest

Among the insect pests that attack stored groundnut, rice moth Corcyra ~ephalonica Stainton is most important- It is polyphagous in nature and cosmopolitan in distribution. .Its ability to develop at low humidities ( < 20 "/, RH) may account for its prevalence in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) over other stored product lep.idopterous pests (Dick, 1987)- The irifestation in groundnut results in both qualitative and quantitative losses. C. cephalonica is the most co.mrnon insect pest, often encountered during the visual examination of seed samples meant for export. Though this species is cosn~opolitan in distribution and has attained economic importance in several crops, very limited work has been done with respect to its control by fumigation. Hence this study was undertaken to evolve effective, easy, and economic fumigation schedule to control this pest to ensure better sanitation of outgoing seed.