Stored grain pests of corn (Zea mays L.) in Mardin province, Türkiye

Authors : Ekrem Atakan, Muhammed Mustafa Saruhan

Pages : 673-681

Doi:10.29050/harranziraat.1770479

View : 75 | Download : 139

Publication Date : 2025-12-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Licensed warehousing has been steadily increasing in Kızıltepe, Nusaybin, Derik, Mazıdağı, and Artuklu districts of Mardin province, Türkiye. Nevertheless, the current knowledge of the stored grain pests is limited. This study determined insect species, their population densities, and extent of damage in stored corn grains during 2022–2023. Grain samples were taken from both traditional warehouses (reinforced concrete horizontal warehouse) and steel silos using the probe method. Insects were examined in 500 g composite samples prepared for each warehouse. Eleven species belonging to the order Coleoptera were identified from the samples. The most common species and the primary pest in ordinary warehouses was rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L., 1758) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (48.24%), while the most common species in steel silos was Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with rate of %57.14, known as a secondary pest of stored grains. The number of alive individuals collected was higher than dead individuals (overall, the proportion of alive individuals was 90% in ordinary warehouses and 77% in steel silos). The damage caused by primary pests in corn grains ranged between 1–3%, indicating that the fumigation procedures in the sampled traditional warehouses and silos were not sufficiently successful.
Keywords : Sitophilus oryzae, depo, dane mısır, coleoptera, zarar

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL