POTENTIAL OF STORAGE INSECT PESTS TO BREED IN TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS OF RICE

Breeding potential of Tribolium castaneum, Rhyzopertha dominica and Sitophilus oryzae in salted parmal, puffed rice and beaten rice showed that mortality of adult insects was negligible during 3 weeks in all products except for full mortality of S. oryzae on beaten rice in 2 weeks. Larval development of T. castaneum was significantly slower in salted parmal and phulian as compared to that in raw rice. The larvae of R. dominica took significantly longer time to develop in salted parmal. T. castaneum produced lowest progeny in salted parmal and sweetened phulian, whereas R. dominica a produced maximum progeny in plain and sweetened phulian causing 27.9 and 19.5% loss in weight respectively during 3 months. The rice weevil, S. oryzae, could not breed in any of the traditional products of rice tested in this study.