The potential of plants and plant products in stored insect pest management

In most of the tropical countries including Sri Lanka beetles attack store seeds and is a major cause of serious post harvest losses. In order to protect the stored product from insects not only pesticides but a formulation of plants and their products as powders, volatile oils, non volatile oils and extracts could be effectively used. An overview of available literature on use of plant products against the storage beetles in tropical regions is presented in order to highlight the importance, safe use, and effective control. Seed beetles cause an important part of the total insect damage to seed crops. The potential efficacy of a plant product can depend on the plant species, the plant part, and the time and way of harvesting. The mere fact that the natural products are used, implies that considerable variation is to be expected. Many of the tested plants do show effects against the seed beetles. The most effective plants or methods of application are not known, but results are promising and plant material can be an effective weapon in the battle against the beetles. Plants can be an effective replacement for chemical insecticides to protect stored seeds.