Storage Pests Management

Direct feeding damage by insect pests reduces grain weight, nutritional value and germination by stored grains. Infestations also cause contamination, odour, mould and heat damage problems that reduce the quality of the grain and may make it unit for processing into food for humans. Commercial buyers may refuse to accept delivery of infested grain, or may pay a reduced price. Adequate management of stored grain pests has always received less attention than pest management efforts on crops in the field. This is unfortunate, as losses of grain-in-storage are often equal to cereal grain losses in the field. Grain storage never improves grain quality. Therefore maintaining maximum grain quality is a must for any produced or processor. Looking to the importance of stored product entomology and need of the students of Indian agricultural universities offering storage products entrology as one of the courses, the present book has been prepared. The subject matter has been written in simple and lucid language well supported by self explainatory tables and well illustrated diagrams and figures. Therefore, it is bound to be very useful not only to the students and teachers, but also for the persons dealing in storage of food grains.