Monitoring of stored product insects and decision support systems at the post-harvest stages of durable agricultural commodities: a review

Abstract

Cereals, pulses, dried fruits and other durable agricultural commodities are stored, usually for long periods, before being processed further for consumption. During storage they are frequently attacked by a range of insect pests causing significant quantitative and qualitative losses. In this context, conventional insecticides still remain the dominant pest-management approach for stored product insects. Failure to control insect infestations in the field, as well as in the warehouses themselves, can lead to extensive contamination of stored grain. Hence, establishing strategies for early diagnosis that are also aligned with internationally established regulatory and phytosanitary frameworks, and meet industrial demands is an absolute priority. Current insect monitoring methods at the post-harvest stages of durable agricultural commodities, despite their incontestable advantages, are met with several drawbacks, such as reduced detection sensitivity and increased cost, as well as the capacity for multi-species detection, a parameter that is not always desirable. Newer methods that have been developed during the last two decades, are able to provide both increased detection sensitivity and specificity, and the ability to interpret detection data, to further utilize them in decision-support tools. This review covers the current developments towards improved insect detection and estimation of their populations, based on a wide range of methods, from traditional sampling to e-trapping.