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The Susceptibility Status of Maize Varieties to Weevil (Sitophilus Spp.) and the Effect of Storage Type on Weevil Infestation in Koshe Area, South- Central Ethiopia

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The Susceptibility Status of Maize Varieties to Weevil (Sitophilus Spp.) and the Effect of Storage Type on Weevil Infestation in Koshe Area, South- Central Ethiopia THE SUSCEPTIBILITY STATUS OF MAIZE VARIETIES TO WEEVIL (SITOPHILUS SPP.) AND THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TYPE ON WEEVIL INFESTATION IN KOSHE AREA, SOUTH- CENTRAL ETHIOPIA MSC THESIS BY SINTAYHU SILKORO ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA JUNE, 2017 THE SUSCEPTIBILITY STATUS OF MAIZE VARIETIES TO WEEVIL (SITOPHILUS SPP.) AND THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TYPE ON WEEVIL INFESTATION IN KOSHE AREA, SOUTH-CENTRAL ETHIOPIA BY SINTAYHU SILKORO A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF MASTER DEGREE IN BIOLOGY ADVISOR FEKADU MASSEBO (PHD) JUNE, 2017 ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA i DECLARATION I hear by declare that this MSc thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other university and all sources of material used for this thesis have been duly acknowledged. Name: Sintayhu Silkoro Afrano Signature_____________ Date________________ ii SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY ADVISORS‟ MSC THESIS APPROVAL SHEET This is to certify that the Msc thesis entitled “The susceptibility status of maize varieties to weevil (Sitophilus spp.) and the effect of storage type on weevil infestation in Koshe Area, south-central Ethiopia” was carried out by Sintayhu Silkoro Afrano Id No. SMSc 052/05, under my supervision. Therefore, I recommend that the student‟s Msc thesis can be presented for review and open oral presentation. Fekadu Massebo (PhD) _____________ _______________ Name of principal advisor Signature Date Remark: This has to be signed in three copies and be attached with the Msc thesis. iii EXAMINERS‟ THESIS APPROVAL SHEET We, the undersigned, members of the Board of Examiners of the final open defense by Sintayhu Silkoro Afrano have read and evaluated his thesis entitled with “The susceptibility status of maize varieties to weevil (Sitophilus spp.) and the effect of storage type on weevil infestation in Koshe Area, south-central Ethiopia‟‟ and examined the candidate‟s oral presentation. This is, therefore, to certify that the thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for master‟s degree in Biology. Thesis assessment Board 1. Chairperson Signature Date _______________ ________________ ______________ 2. Internal examiner Signature Date _______________ _________________ _______________ 3. External examiner Signature Date ________________ __________________ _________________ 4. Advisor Signature Date _______________ ___________________ _________________ iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT First and foremost I thank my God. I am really happy to thank my advisor Fekadu Massebo (PhD) for his encouragement and guidance, and without his support completion of this work may not have been possible. Thus, I am very much indebted to him for all his support and willingness to advise me on my all effort to successfully finalize the thesis. I want to thank Arba Minch University, Department of Biology for providing facilities and Ministry of Education for accepting and sponsoring. I would also express my deepest gratitude to my friend, Nesru Jemal for facilitating selection of maize varieties for purpose of study up to selecting model farmers‟ storage for field work. My special thanks go to model farmers Buba Balcha, Abera Awase, Shural Weriqicho and Merga Assefa for their cooperation during selection of experimental maize varieties and their willingness to give storage places for field work. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my friends Yared Zerihun who relentless support me in data collection and photographing. The support and hospitality of Koshe General Secondary and preparatory school administrative bodies is highly acknowledged for allowing biology laboratory and to supplying stationary materials. I would also thank to Ediget farmer seeds multiplication and marketing cooperative union staff in Butajira in particular Hualid Negash and Biniam Berhanu for providing laboratory equipment and willingness for laboratory germination. My gratitude goes to Mareqo district branch GRAD/USAID members and Mareqo district agricultural office for facilitating questionnaires distribution and valuable cooperation for data collection. My gratitude also goes to my friend Muhudin Meltiro for his moral and material support. I would like to thank Zerihun Fesaha, Director of Koshe general secondary and preparatory school, for his advice and material support. v ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ASE Amhara Seed Enterprise CSA Central Statics Agency EIAR Ethiopia Institute of Agriculture Research ESE Ethiopia Seed Enterprise FAO Food and Agriculture Organization Ha hectare MT/ha Metric Ton per hectare NEIP National Extension Intervention program OSE Oromia Seed Enterprise SSA Sub Sahara Africa country SSE Southern Seed Enterprise GRAD Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development USAID United State Agency of for International Development vi Abstract Maize weevils are cosmopolitan pests of stored grains and cause considerable economic losses to smallholder farmers. The infestation by maize weevils often start in the field, but serious damage is during storage. In this study, five maize varieties namely BH543, Jabi, Shala, Shone, and Abaraya were purchased from Mareko Woreda agricultural farmer training center and evaluated against maize weevils. The effect of different storage practices on maize weevil infestation was also evaluated in the five maize varieties. 200 gm of each of the maize variety was placed in six 750 ml jars to assess the infestation rate of maize weevils. The grain was sieved to remove dirt, and broken maize grain particles were removed, and then the normal grains were disinfested by keeping it in a deep freezer at -4oc for two weeks. Four replicates were deliberately infested by 10 adult maize weevils (Sitophilus spp.) harvested from local farmer‟s stores. Two replicates were used as control. The grains were followed for 120 days. The percentage of germination and weight loss in control and infested maize grains was assessed. The five maize varieties were stored in three storage methods (with cobs, without cobs and in grain forms) to assess the effect of storage type on weevils infestation. The mean percentage germination in damaged seeds was 67.8%, while it was 85% in undamaged seeds. Among the damaged maize grains, the highest percent germination (76%) was recorded in BH543, while hybrid Shone preformed the least percentage of germination (52%). Mean live Sitophilus occurrence varied significantly in different storage forms (P = 0.001). Maize stored in grains form was most vulnerable to weevils with 5.73 weevils/100 gm mean number of weevils; it was 3.11weevils/100 gm in maize stored without cobs and only 0.65/100 gm maize stored with cobs. Shala allowed more weevils to be emerged across all types of storage forms, while Abaraya supported the lowest number of weevils in all storage types. Storage of maize varieties with cobs had provided a substantial protection from weevil infestation in the field. The storage of maize with cobs should be promoted to reduce damage and hence to improve food security in smallholder farmers. The use of maize varieties with thick husk covers may improve grain protection during storage. Key Words/phrases: Maize varieties, Mareko Woreda, maize weevils, storage type vii Table of Contents Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................................ v Acronyms/abbreviations ................................................................................................................ vi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x list of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Background .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Statement of the problem ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Significance of the study ...................................................................................................... 3 1.4. Objective of the study .......................................................................................................... 3 1.4.1. General objective ........................................................................................................... 3 1.4.2. Specific objectives ......................................................................................................... 3 1.5. Scope of the study ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.6. Limitation of the study ........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2. Literature Review........................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Global distribution of maize weevils ................................................................................... 4 2.2. Life cycle and biology of maize weevils
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