Evaluation of botanicals for the management of rice weevil ( Sitophilus oryzae L.) on stored rice seed in Fogera, Northwestern Ethiopia

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of botanicals for the management of rice weevils on stored rice seeds. Results indicated that the botanical powders significantly increased weevil mortality, reduced progeny emergence, and led to lower seed damage and weight loss compared with the control. The leaf powder of P. dodecandra (96.49%) was the most effective botanical against S. oryzae after 14 days of exposure, with comparable effects to Malathion 5% dust. Next to this, 91.23% and 89.47% of adult weevil mortality were recorded from the seed powders of A. indica and D. stramonium, respectively. The leaf powder of P. dodecandra and the seed powders of D. stramonium and A. indica were the most effective botanicals in all the measured variables relative to the other botanical treatments. These can be used as management options for S. oryzae under storage conditions.