Abstract
The preservation of stored grains against weevil infestations is critical for ensuring food security and minimizing post-harvest losses in Nigeria, where insect pests remain a major constraint to effective grain storage. This study evaluates the efficacy of seed extracts of Azadirachta indica in controlling Sitophilus zeamais. Seeds were extracted using five solvents—methanol, ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether, and n-hexane—and the resulting oils were tested for their effects on insect mortality, oviposition, adult emergence, grain damage, and long-term storage viability. Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence, with complete suppression observed in ethanol-, petroleum ether-, and n-hexane-treated grains. These treatments also fully prevented grain damage and weight loss for three months, while methanol and acetone extracts allowed limited damage (9.19% and 8.18%, respectively). Germination tests showed high viability (95.25–98.25%) across all treatments, with the lowest germination recorded in petroleum ether extract (95.25%). The findings suggest that A. indica seed extracts are highly effective in managing S. zeamais infestations and represent a viable alternative to synthetic insecticides for safe and sustainable grain storage.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by-nc-sa. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Ethanol extract caused 100% weevil mortality within 96 hours.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- ethanol extracte0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamais
Sitophilus zeamaist1peste0 - Direction
- most effectivee0
- Value
- 100%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
N-hexane extract caused 88.25% weevil mortality.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- n-hexanee0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Value
- 88.25%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Petroleum ether extract caused 85.75% weevil mortality.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- petroleum ethere0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Value
- 85.75%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Methanol extract caused 82.25% weevil mortality.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- methanole0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Value
- 82.25%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Acetone extract caused 76.15% weevil mortality.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- acetonee0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Value
- 76.15%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
The extracts significantly reduced weevil oviposition and adult emergence.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- Extractse0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Ethanol treated grains completely suppressed oviposition and adult emergence.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- ethanol-e0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Direction
- complete suppressione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“complete suppression observed in ethanol-, petroleum ether-, and n-hexane-treated grains”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Petroleum ether treated grains completely suppressed oviposition and adult emergence.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- petroleum ether-e0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Direction
- complete suppressione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“complete suppression observed in ethanol-, petroleum ether-, and n-hexane-treated grains”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
N-hexane treated grains completely suppressed oviposition and adult emergence.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- n-hexane-treated grainse0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Direction
- complete suppressione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“complete suppression observed in ethanol-, petroleum ether-, and n-hexane-treated grains”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Ethanol, petroleum ether and n-hexane treatments prevented grain damage and weight loss for three months.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Treatment
- These treatmentse0
- Interactor
- Sitophilus zeamaisSitophilus zeamaist1peste0
- Outcome
- grain damage and weight losse0
- Direction
- fully preventede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These treatments also fully prevented grain damage and weight loss for three months”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Methanol treated grains had 9.19% damage.
Verbatim
e0“methanol and acetone extracts allowed limited damage (9.19% and 8.18%, respectively)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Acetone treated grains had 8.18% damage.
Verbatim
e0“methanol and acetone extracts allowed limited damage (9.19% and 8.18%, respectively)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination viability remained 95.25–98.25% across treatments.
Verbatim
e0“Germination tests showed high viability (95.25–98.25%) across all treatments”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Petroleum ether extract had the lowest germination viability, 95.25%.
Verbatim
e0“lowest germination recorded in petroleum ether extract (95.25%)”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors regard neem extracts as a viable alternative to synthetic insecticides for grain storage.
- Taxon
- Stored Maizet0
- Interactor
- S. zeamaisSitophilus zeamaise0pest
- Outcome
- viable alternative to synthetic insecticidese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A. indica seed extracts are highly effective in managing S. zeamais infestations and represent a viable alternative to synthetic insecticides for safe and sustainable grain storage”
t0“Stored Maize”
t1“Sitophilus zeamais”
e1“Results indicate that ethanol extract was the most effective, inducing 100% mortality within 96 hours of exposure, followed by n-hexane (88.25%), petroleum ether (85.75%), methanol (82.25%), and acetone (76.15%). Extracts also significantly reduced oviposition and adult emergence”
The same questions in other papers
ethanol · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
acetone · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
methanol · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →ether · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Results agree
3 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
hexane · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Results agree
6 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →botanical · Sitophilus zeamais · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
112 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- no effect
113 papers more in this group
See all 117 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.