Demand-Driven Technologies for Sustainable Maize ... - IITA

288saturated atmosphere in the dark to avoid oxidation, which occurs inthe light (Valnet, 1998).The fruits of X. aethiopica and P nigrum, and the leaves of O.gratissimum are common household spices (used in domestic cooking)and medicines in many traditional African communities (Bauer etal. 1990). To prepare them as pesticide dust by simple drying andgrinding is relatively cheap and practical. They can, therefore, be easilyadopted by rural communities as cheaper and safer alternatives to themore expensive and often hazardous conventional grain protectants.They also have the potential for the manufacture of ecologically friendlypesticides for the pollution-conscious industrialized world (Okoro et al.1992). In other words, these oils could be utilized in the managementof insects feeding on grains or insects present within the storedgrain stocks.ConclusionThe application of essential oil insecticide mixtures may reduce the useof synthetic insecticides and hence reduce health hazards to applicatorsand consumers. The present study showed that X. aethiopica and P.nigrum had signifi cant insecticide activity by consumption and contact,respectively. If readily available, treatment of grains with these essentialoil mixtures could have important practical applications in areas of theworld where insecticides are expensive, in short supply and hazardousto handle. This has an important practical implication in the search forand use of plant extracts for pest control. Further studies should becarried out to assess the insecticidal activity of the dust of plants of allthese species.ReferencesAbbot, W.S., 1925. A method of computing the effectiveness of an insecticide.J of Economic Entomology 18: 265–267.Bauer, K., D. Garbe, and H. Surburg H., 1990. Common fragrance andfl avour materials. 2 nd Edition. VCH 30; 297–301.Bell, A., 1994a. Emploi des substances végétales comme produits de protectiondes stocks contre la grand capucin du grain (Prostephanus truncatus) etautres ravageurs. GTZ, Eschborn, 7p.Bell, A., 1994b. Moyens et méthodes traditionnels de protection des stocks.Bulletin d’information, GTZ, Eschborn, 21p.Bouda, H., L.A. Tapondjou, D.A. Fontem, and M.Y.D. Gumedzoe, 2001. Effectof essential oils from leaves of Ageratum conyzoides, Lantana camara andChromolaena odorata on the mortality of Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera,Curculionidae). J. Stored Prod. Res. 37: 103–109.Don–Pedro, K.N., 1987. Insecticidal activity of plant oils against stored productpests. PhD thesis, University of London, 135p.