Effect of Ash, Crude Protein and Nitrogen in Traditional Varieties of Rice Against Sitophilus oryzae (L.) Infestation in Storage

The management of rice weevil infestations in traditional rice varieties presents unique challenges. Traditional storage practices and methods may not always align with contemporary insect pest management strategies furthermore, the genetic diversity of traditional rice varieties means that insect pest management solutions need to be tailored to specific varieties and local conditions. Twelve rice varieties were collected from different Farmers of Telangana State. The selected varieties, after collection, were cleaned by removing physical impurities if any and thereafter they were kept in an incubator at a temperature of 55⁰C for four hours to kill the existing insects without damaging the viability of the seeds. In this study, the reduced adult emergence in moderately resistant varieties could be linked to their elevated ash content. This high ash content in the seeds may deter insects due to potential toxicity, rendering these varieties less preferred for feeding, growth, and emergence by the grub, and high crude protein and nitrogen content enhances nutritional content and attractiveness, promoting growth and reproduction and increases egg laying resulting in more extensive damage to the stored rice. The present results of ash, crude protein and nitrogen content can guide the selection and breeding of traditional rice varieties with lower weevil susceptibility and perform storage practices that minimize rice weevil infestations and also improves traditional storage practices by identifying natural pest resistance and proper hermetic storage practices.