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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 11, No. 2

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/aivp.112.14268.

Tegei, E. M., Githendu, M., & Muui, C. W. (2023). Effect of A Deltamethrin Incorporated Polypropylene Storage Bags on

Germination Percentage of Dressed Maize Seed Under Storage in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. European Journal of Applied

Sciences, Vol - 11(2). 690-697.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Effect of A Deltamethrin Incorporated Polypropylene Storage

Bags on Germination Percentage of Dressed Maize Seed Under

Storage in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya

Eric Maghas Tegei

Orcid ID: 0000-0001-6446-7564

Kenyatta University, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,

Department of Agricultural Science and Technology, P. O. Box 43844 Nairobi, Kenya

Mukiri wa Githendu

Kenyatta University, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,

Department of Agricultural Science and Technology, P. O. Box 43844 Nairobi, Kenya

Catherine W. Muui

Kenyatta University, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,

Department of Agricultural Science and Technology, P. O. Box 43844 Nairobi, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Seed storage structures have a great influence on the quality of the stored seed. The

level of insect-pest infestation, damages or losses, and overall quality of the stored

seed over some time depends on the kind of storage structure used. The purpose of

this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Deltamethrin-incorporated

polypropylene storage bag against the insect pest infestation on dressed maize

seeds quality in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. The target population was all the

insect-free maize Seed at Kenya Seed Company Ltd, Elgon Downs Farm located on

the outskirts of Kitale Town. The study was operationalized with a Complete

Randomized Research Design with four treatments and two replications each. Data

was collected by using pre-prepared data sheets while the Excel package was used

for data management and the stratigraphic software was used to analyze the insect

damage-related data. T-test was also used to establish the direction of effect

between the various sample results. The analyzed data was presented in graphs and

tables. The study concluded that Deltamethrin-incorporated polypropylene bags

had better efficacy in providing deterrence on insect infestation, hence, a better

storage material compared to the control bags. From these conclusions, the study

recommends that the ministry through extension services should educate large- scale farmers on the use of the Deltamethrin-incorporated polypropylene bags. The

county officials in charge of agricultural services can also educate small-scale

farmers on the use of these bags and collaborations between the national and

county governments could be harnessed to ensure their availability at affordable

rates to farmers.

Keywords: Deltamethrin-incorporated polypropylene bags, Insect pest infestation, Maize

seeds quality

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Tegei, E. M., Githendu, M., & Muui, C. W. (2023). Effect of A Deltamethrin Incorporated Polypropylene Storage Bags on Germination Percentage of

Dressed Maize Seed Under Storage in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(2). 690-697.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.112.14268.

INTRODUCTION

According to Coffi et al. (2016) there are several commercially available types of hermetic bags:

single layer (e.g., SuperGrainbag bags manufactured by Grainpro Inc.), double layer (e.g. AgroZ

bags manufactured by A to Z), and triple-layer bags (e.g. PICSTM bags manufactured by several

licensed plastic companies in SSA, Asia and Latin America). These hermetic bags come in

different forms and sizes, and most of them look similar to transport or storage containers

(polypropylene [PP] woven bags and plastic polyethylene [PE] liners) that are regularly used

by farmers. Hermetic bags are appropriate alternatives to traditional and conventional storage

methods as they maintain the quality of stored products and allow smallholder farmers to be

food secure and have the flexibility to sell their grain when prices are high (Coffi et al., 2016).

Mutambuki et al. (2019) explained that hermetically sealed containers operate on a

phenomenon of restricting O2 availability to microbes and insects already in cereal grains upon

storage. The elimination of oxygen is primarily achieved through the exchange of gases between

cereals, insects and microbes inside airtight containers; respiration within the airtight

container leads to a reduction in oxygen volumes with an increase in carbon dioxide volumes,

causing suffocation and subsequent death of insects and microbes. Gaseous exchange within

polypropylene sacks is unrestricted, as the porosity of the bags allows free movement of oxygen

and carbon dioxide in and out of the bag, ensuring balance in respiration among maize grains,

insects and microbes. The accessibility of oxygen by microbes (fungi) supports their growth

and consequently increases aflatoxin levels in the maize samples stored in the polypropylene

sacks. The results obtained from the present study show that hermetic storage bags have

competitive advantages over polypropylene bags in terms of aflatoxin prevention.

Typical storage practices, which include polypropylene bags with or without insecticides, do

not protect well enough against the main storage pests (García-Lara et al., 2019), resulting in

losses as high as 60% of stored grain (Odjo et al., 2020). Many studies document the value of

improved storage practices for smallholders’ food security and nutrition (Kumar & Kalita,

2017) and, particularly, the effectiveness of hermetic storage technologies in minimizing insect

and fungi damage (Abass et al., 2018; Chigoverah and Mvumi, 2016; Odjo et al., 2020). Previous

studies also documented storage technology effects on seed viability or visible quality

attributes, but there has been little to assess the impact of storage practices on grain quality

and nutritional losses (Affognon et al., 2015; Nkhata et al., 2021; Taleon et al., 2017). Further,

the few published studies on this topic in Mexico were conducted at single locations, whereas

Mexico is characterized by numerous, highly diverse maize farming agro-ecologies (García-Lara

et al., 2019).

The Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) program grew out of an earlier project funded by

the USAID Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) in 1987 to address

post-harvest losses of cowpea grain on smallholder farms in West Africa. In 2007, the PICS

triple-bagging technology was promoted in ten countries in West and Central Africa (Baoua et

al., 2014). The PICS bag consists of two, high-density polyethylene liners fitted inside a third

woven polypropylene bag. When the bag is filled with grain and sealed, metabolic activities of

living organisms inside the bag deplete the available oxygen, and the oxygen reaches low levels

(e.g., less than 5% by volume) within a few days (Murdock et al., 2012).