SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF STORED PEARL MILLET USING BOTANICAL GRAIN PROTECTANTS AND HOST PLANT RESISTANCE AGAINST SITOTROGA CEREALELLA. LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is a vital cereal crop widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions due to its high nutritional value, drought tolerance, and adaptability to marginal environments. However, significant post-harvest losses occur during storage as a result of infestation by the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a major internal grain-feeding pest. The larvae bore into grains, reducing grain weight, germination potential, nutritional quality, and market value. Conventional management practices largely depend on synthetic insecticides and fumigants, which pose risks of insect resistance, environmental pollution, pesticide residues, and hazards to human health. Consequently, sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives have gained increasing attention. Botanical grain protectants derived from plants such as neem (Azadirachta indica), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.), sweet flag (Acorus calamus), and other indigenous botanicals possess insecticidal, repellent, antifeedant, and oviposition-deterrent properties that effectively suppress storage pests. In addition, host plant resistance offers a cost-effective and environmentally safe approach by utilizing pearl millet genotypes with grain characteristics that reduce pest infestation and development. The integration of botanical grain protectants with resistant varieties provides a sustainable management strategy that minimizes post-harvest losses, reduces reliance on chemical pesticides, and enhances food security. This chapter highlights the biology and damage potential of S. cerealella, the role of botanical protectants, mechanisms of host plant resistance, and the prospects of integrating these approaches for effective and sustainable storage pest management in pearl millet