Application of grain protectants on sorghum grain and their effects on pest insects

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a species within the poaceae family that is commonly used for its grain in various products such as livestock feed and ethanol production. With grains being stored for long periods of time, the chances of infestation by a number of pest insect species are likely. While damage caused by infestation in the United States is relatively low, grain storage facilities overseas experience much higher losses of product due to damage caused by various stored product pests. One method in dealing with these infestations, or perhaps preventing them entirely, is to treat the grain with insecticides or grain protectants. Despite the fact that many storage facilities experience infestations, and the usage of grain protectants are becoming more frequent, not much research has been done on how grain protectants affect insect populations infesting stored sorghum or how the sorghum itself affects pest insect development. Because of its growing popularity and otherwise lack of research, it is important to examine the effects of various grain protectants on preventing sorghum infestation. In this study, we wanted to observe the developmental effects that sorghum has on stored product pests under various storage temperatures and the effect of grain protectants on the same system. From this study, we hope to obtain a better understanding of the susceptibility of sorghum to stored product insects and measure the efficacy of grain protectants during storage and how they can be improved.