Bioefficacy of Mucana pruriens extracts against Rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

In the agricultural sector, the rice weevil, Sitophilous oryzae L. is one of the most damaging pests, causing significant economic losses worldwide. It is an internal feeder of grains. The female rice weevil causes damage to the grain by creating a hole in it and laying her eggs inside. The main purpose of our study was to investigate the biological effect of an aqueous extract of Mucana prurienson rice weevil under laboratory conditions. To assess the biological activities, data like number of the days to adult emergence, total adult emergence, percent infestation, weight loss, adult longevity, and adult sex ratio were recorded. The findings showed that, in the case of a 100 mg/ml plant extract, the maximum number of days needed for the adult emergence of rice was 66 and 72 days for wheat weevil, and the minimum number of days required was 20 and 25 in case control of both rice and wheat grains. When rice grains were treated with 0 mg/ml aqueous extracts, the maximum number of adult emergences observed was 72 on rice grains, while 66.00 occurred on wheat grains. The highest percentage of infestation (40.00%) was found in rice grains, while the highest percentage (39.78%) was found in wheat grains treated with 0 mg/ml aqueous extracts. The lowest weight loss (7.99%) was observed in rice grains and the highest weight loss (16.66%) in wheat grains treated with 100 mg/ml extracts; on the other hand, the lowest weight loss (13.33%) was observed in rice grains and the highest in wheat grains treated with 0 mg/ml aqueous extracts. When weevils were raised on untreated rice and wheat grains, the longest recorded adult lifespan was achieved overall. For rice weevil control that is safer, plant aqueous extracts with concentrations of 100 mg/ml and 75 mg/ml ought to be utilized. The present studies were carried out to examine the environmentally friendly aqueous extracts of Mucana pruriens and their pesticidal efficacy in controlling rice weevil. The study anticipates that Mucana pruriens extracts will exhibit significant insecticidal properties, potentially providing a natural alternative to synthetic insecticides. This study contributes to sustainable pest management strategies for stored grains.