Study of antifeedant activities of various HPLC purified natural compounds against Tribolium castaneum

Abstract

Global food supply is enduring an unprecedented convergence of stress due to continuous rise of global population. Food security cannot be attained only by enhancing global food production but preventing food loss from abiotic and biotic agents are also equally important. Worldwide food losses in storage facilities, whether domestic or industrial, by stored grain insects are increasing. Infestation of storage insects deteriorates more rapidly the quality and quantity food stuffs. Worldwide presence is due to their higher adaptability to different environments and higher rate of fecundity which make them highly dreaded. Unlike agricultural pests, the storage pests affect the finished product and thereby making the treatment strategies very tedious. Therefore, control of storage insects are one of the major challenges in grain protection. Of the different insect pests that infest flour, the Tribolium castaneum commonly known as the red flour beetle, is extremely significant because of the damages it inflicts. Voracious nature of adults and grubs that feeds flour throughout their lifespan makes them highly detrimental. With advent of chemo-synthetic pesticides, the use of synthetic pesticides to control stored grains insect and agricultural insect/pest has been a standard practice. However, there is continuous rise of evidences regarding the detrimental effects of many of the conventional insecticides and pesticides on human health and environment. The increasing magnitude of hazards of synthetic insecticides has intensified the search for alternate compounds of lower mammalian toxicity and those which are bio-degradable and environmentally safe. Phyto-derived insecticides or botanical insecticides are naturally available toxin antagonistic to insects. Owing to abundance of plants, it became the likely source of biopesticides and has been in practice among rural or tribal communities for controlling variety of pest/insects. Though use of plants to control pest is an age old practice the knowledge and practice is no