Stored-grains pests and their control with emphasis on military food warehouses in Iran: a review

Background and Aim: In order to providing healthy food and improve food security, it is vital to preserve and protect agricultural products from pest's damage during storage. This is especially crucial for strategic products such as grains and cereals. Inefficient management in this subject would lead to the loss of stored food and will make the country's economic dependence on the other. In passive defense in the agricultural sector, importing agricultural products, regardless of the economic aspect, can pose serious threats to food and health security (agroterrorism and bioterrorism), due to the introduction of pests and pathogens. On this basis, it is necessary to establish basic infrastructures, such as the construction of modern warehouses with the aim of successfully storing food outside the growing season, as well as managing pests in warehouses and borders, relying on new techniques. Food depots at military centers are prone to pest attacks because of their location and construction, and less access to urban infrastructure. Methods: In this review, firstly, we explored on all scientific databases and assessed documents were related to stored-pests. Further, the effective control methods for grains pest management were presented in separate sections, finally, we provide the best control methods in military and non-military warehouses. Results: Our review showed, more than 30 key pests from different animal phylum (arthropods, rodents, birds, etc.) and pathogenic fungi could enter and establish in food warehouses units. Characteristics such as broad distribution and high reproductive capacity led to economic injury, qualitative and hygienic damage into stored-foods and consumers health, so according to storage facilities and grains condition, we chose to introduce some effective tactics such as inert dusts, safety fumigants, eco-friendly biorationals and biopesticides, for stored-grain pest management program. The findings of this review showed that more than 30 key pests of different animal groups, with high eating, dispersal and reproductive power, can infiltrate military and civilian cereal warehouses and cause quantitative, qualitative, and hygienic damage to products and consumers while breeding. The findings of new research also show that nowadays in the integrated management of storage pests, new and diverse methods, such as the use of neutral powders, low-risk arsenic insecticides, bio-pesticides and biorationals compatible with environments can be adapted to suit the type of product and storage conditions. Conclusion: Development of insecticide resistance, environmental problems caused stored-food pests has become a serious challenge in the military and civilian stockpiles that must be eliminated by choosing the most effective, yet least risky, control method. While eliminating pesticides, it must be guaranteed to address all consumers health risks, including militaries.