Production, safe storage, trade and utilisation of grain remain
a vital part of the world economy. Grain is the staple food in many countries,
is extensively used in processed food and is an important ingredient in animal
feeds. It therefore is important to both developed and developing economies.
The Stored Grain and Oilseed Unit is committed to the provision of high
quality investigations, monitoring, research and technology transfer services to
determine requirements and technical means of safe and insect-free small farm
storage, medium storage and large scale storage of grain.
Activities in the Unit
The Stored Grain and Oil Seed Research Unit does research and can be of
assistance in the following activities:
Breeding and supply of the most common stored grain insect
pests in South Africa
To determine post-harvest constraints facing small-scale
farmers and to improve post-harvest management strategies for improving
household food security
Product development and assistance with registration of
stored grain pesticides for large and small-scale storage facilities. A
registration trial can include a pesticide application, biological efficacy
trials, organoleptic tests, germination trials as well as residue analysis of the treated grain
Evaluate the registered phosphine fumigation products in
South Africa to ensure that all products comply with the registration
requirements as stated on the label of these products
Rodent control research to determine the impact of trapping
on stored grain losses and on rodent populations amongst rural communities
Monitoring the distribution of invasive stored grain insect
pests e.g. the larger grain borer.
History of the stored grain insect
culture
The origin of the insects of stored grain is not well known.
Undoubtedly they lived in the fields in the seeds that escaped the attention of
the birds. Humans began to cultivate plants around 8000 BC in the Middle East,
the custom to store seeds for food, adopted by man during this time, provided an
easy living for insects accidentally brought in with the seeds. Ideal conditions
for breeding, provided by these stores, made it unnecessary for these insects to
search for additional food. They adapted morphologically in size, colour and
shape to go unnoticed in grain and be carried by grain handlers to all parts of
the world. Supplies of grain placed in the tombs of ancient Egyptians were
destroyed by the same species that we are familiar with today. The rust red
flour beetle (Cryptolestis ferrugineus) was found in a tomb of a
pharaoh dating back 1345 BC.
The stored Grain and Oilseed Research Unit has an insect
culture consisting of 11 stored grain insect species commonly found in South
Africa. PPRI – Stored Grain is currently the only organisation in South Africa
specializing in stored grain insects. The University of Pretoria, University of
Stellenbosch, the SABS, the CSIR and other PPRI divisions often use stored grain
insects reared from this culture for their own trials. All the stored grain
pesticide registration trials done by the unit make use of these insects to
determine biological efficacy of the tested pesticides. Five phosphine
susceptible insect species were especially imported from Canada and England to
ensure phosphine resistant trials in South Africa. Currently the unit also has a
field culture strain from the Cape Province to conduct contact pesticide
resistance trials. The laboratory insect strain, which consist of the 11
species, is more than 20 years old. Three breeding rooms at specific
temperatures are used to house these insect species. The rooms are calibrated on
a three-year interval to ensure that the insects are kept at optimum breeding
temperatures. Two adjacent smaller breeding rooms are used for the incubation of
the insects during registration or pesticide resistant trials.
Cryptolestis
| Ephestia cautella
| Rhyzopertha dominica
| Sithophilus
zeamais |
Contact: Research Team Manager: Dr Roger Price, E-mail: pricer@arc.agric.za, Campus: Roodeplaat (East), Pretoria
___________________________________________
>>> Back to Pesticide Science Homepage