Development And Competition In Rice Weevil, Sitophilus Oryzae (L.) And Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum (Herbst), And Their Responses To Active Compounds In Selected Spices.

Serangga hasil simpanan menyebabkan lebih daripada 20% jumlah kerosakan pada hasil simpanan di negara membangun dan lebih daripada 9% jumlah kerosakan di negara-negara maju setiap tahun. Keselamatan makanan adalah terancam terutamanya dengan peningkatan pesat dalam populasi dunia. Tesis ini bertumpu pada aspek kelakuan dan kawalan Sitophilus oryzae (L.) dan Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Keduanya adalah antara dua serangga hasil simpanan yang paling biasa menyerang hasil simpanan di negara tropika. Satu kajian mengenai kadar perkembangan serangga ini di dalam medium yang berbeza telah dijalankan. Sitophilus oryzae didedahkan kepada beras perang, beras tempatan, beras parboiled, beras calrose, beras basmathi, beras merah, beras pulut hitam, dan beras wangi. Kumbang-kumbang tersebut lebih suka medium dengan kandungan karbohidrat yang lebih rendah tetapi kandungan abu dan serat yang lebih tinggi. Stored product insects causes more than 20 % in total damages to stored products in developing countries and 9 % in total damages to stored products in developed countries on a yearly basis. Food security is threatened especially with the rapid increase in world population. This thesis focuses on the behavioural and control aspects of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Both are two of the most common stored products insect attacking stored products in tropical countries. A study on the insects’ development rates in different mediums were carried out. Sitophilus oryzae were exposed to unpolished brown rice, local polished rice, parboiled rice, calrose rice basmati rice, red rice, black glutinous rice and fragrant polished rice. The weevils preferred mediums with lower carbohydrate contents but higher contents of ash and fibre