Efficacy Of Bush Pepper (<em>Piper guineensis </em>) In The Control Of Mold Fungus In Stored Maize (Zea Mays L.) Seeds

Abstract

An experiment  arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five treatment levels  replicated four times was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Crop  Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri Nigeria to investigate the  potentials of Piper guineensis in the control of mold fungus attacking maize  seed in storage. Maize variety (DMRD – yellow) and P. guineensis seeds  were used for the experiment. The maize seeds were sun-dried for 7days, weighed  and put in an air-tight plastic container.   The P. guineensis seeds were also sun-dried for 7days, grounded  into powder and measured out in the following treatment levels 0g, 10g, 20g,  30g and 40g. The experiment was allowed to stand for 30 days when the following  parameters were recorded; number of weevil-damaged seeds in each treatment;  number of weevil per treatment; number of discolored maize seeds.  Results showed that application of P.  guineensis seed powder extract was effective in controlling maize weevil (Sitophilus  zeamaise). However, there was significant difference in the effectiveness  of the different treatment levels of the powder extract and the control  treatment. Treated levels with 10g - 40g powder extracts were effective in  controlling maize weevil than the untreated control (0g). Similarly, P.  guineensis seed powder extract was observed to be effective in the control  of mold fungus in stored maize seeds, with the highest level of treatment (40g)  yielding the best control of the mold and the 10g treatment level the lowest  (10g). It is recommended that P.guineensis powder extract can be used in  the control of both maize weevil and mold in the storage.