ISSN 2375-1134
African Journal of Agriculture ISSN 2375-1134 Vol. 7 (5), pp. 001-004, May, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Costs analysis and toxicity of Jatropha curcas L. on maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.
A. K. Musa1*, M. A. Belewu2, A. Muhammed-Lawal3, F. O. dekola4, B. O. Olarewaju1 and S. O. Ibraheem2
1Department of Crop Protection, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
2Department of Animal Production, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
3Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
4Department of Agronomy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Accepted 14 February, 2020
Abstract
The toxicity of Jatropha seed oil to maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. in stored grains was tested in the laboratory. The cost analysis of seed oil extraction was estimated. The rates of seed oil treatment at 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 ml and the untreated control for storage of 100 g grains were replicated four times. Each experimental unit contained five pairs of freshly emerged adult S. zeamais. Results showed disproportionate increase in adult mortality with increase in rate of treatment. There was significant difference (P<0.05) in the treatments compared to the oil-free control. At the end of four months storage period, the weevil perforation index (WPI) ranges between 17.91 and 26.315% in the treatments compared to the control. Application of the seed oil to the grains was simple and the results determined the possibility of including the seed oil in pest management programme.
Key words: Jatropha curcas, Sitophilus zeamais, costs analysis, toxicity.