Effect of grain type on the effectiveness of ozone against two Sitophilus species

The two weevils, Sitophilus granarius and S. zeamais are destructive pests of stored cereal grains worldwide. Ozone is considered green and eco-friendly fumigant for controlling these weevils. However, there are no available reports on the effectiveness of ozone when applied to wheat grains against S. zeamais, rice grains against S. granarius, and barley grains against the two weevils of Sitophilus. Therefore, the present study investigated the impact of ozone on the chemical compositions of cereal grains, including wheat, barley, and rice grains, as well as its effect on the mortality of Sitophilus granarius and S. zeamais adults on three stored cereal grains. Our results showed that ozone caused full adult mortalities of S. granarius and S. zeamais in relation to concentration and short exposure time, and based on the type of grains as follows: rice > barley > wheat. Overall, our results indicate that ozone caused full adult mortality of S. granarius and S. zeamais based on concentration and short exposure time, with the order of effectiveness being; rice > barley > wheat. Additionally, the chemical component analysis of the three treated cereal grains showed a slight decrease in protein, carbohydrate, and moisture, while the effect of ozone varied in contents of ash, fiber and fat based on the type of grain compared to untreated grains. Ozone gas could be considered a green fumigant with no negative effects on treated stored products.