Phytochemical Analysis and Effect of Sodom Apple (Calotropis procera (Aiton)) on Maize Weevil (Sitophilus zeamais(Motsch.) in Storage in Bauchi

ABSTRACT

Laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the insecticidal activity of leaves and stem bark powder of Sodom apple (Calotropis procera) and optimum concentration for the management of maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais). Actellic dust 50g was used as positive control and untreated Maize seeds serving as negative control. The experiment was laid in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) comprising of Leaf powder (1, 3 and 5 g), stem bark powder (1, 3 and 5 g), Actellic dust and control. These were applied to 100g healthy maize seeds and repeated three times. Ten reared F2 generation of the maize seed weevils (Sitophilus zeamais) were introduced into the treated and untreated maize seeds already contained in plastic jars (measuring 4 x 6 x 8 cm). The open end of the plastic containers was covered with a fine muslin cloth and tied firmly with rubber band and kept at room temperature (29 – 32oC) in the laboratory. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using NDMRT at 1% and 5% probability level. The results showed that the application of 5 g/100g leaves significantly (P