Using fumigation toxicity data of 11 natural and synthetic cyanohydrins to house fly (Musca domestica) and a stored-product pest, the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica), the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of cyanohydrins were examined by Oxford Molecular CAChe 3.2 and Microsoft Excel. This analysis used eight physicochemical parameters. Correlation between the LC(50...

Persistence of stored-product insects in hidden refugia and their subsequent movement into stored commodities resulting in product infestation contributes to their pest status and represents a potential target for biological control agents. Entomopathogenic nematodes have not been previously tested against stored-product insects in environments such as empty grain bins or food processing and wa...

new sources of maize resistance to the maize weevil, sitophilus zeamais infestation are indispensable in successful breeding programs against post harvest grain damage. the study investigated the characters and mechanisms that confer resistance to weevil infestation using twenty elite maize genotypes. detailed morphological and physical studies were conducted on whole-maize grain. the grain hul...

We assessed the performance of hermetic triple layer Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags for protecting Hibiscus sabdariffa grain against storage insects. The major storage pest in the grain was a bruchid, Spermophagus sp.. When we stored infested H. sabdariffa grain for six months in the woven polypropylene bags typically used by farmers, the Spermophagus population increased 33-fold over...

In this study we develop a gradient theory of small-deformation single-crystal plasticity that accounts for geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). The resulting framework is used to discuss grain boundaries. The grains are allowed to slip along the interface, but growth phenomenona and phase transitions are neglected. The bulk theory is based on the introduction of a microforce balance fo...

Moisture content of grain is one of the important parameters always considered when deciding the quality and price of grain, at the stage of harvesting, storage, processing and marketing. Grain having excess moisture content, if stored for long duration, will spoil due to insect/fungus infestation. Portable, field usable, and easy-to-use direct moisture (%) display Grain Moisture Meter is a nec...