Sustainable Grain Protection: Combatting Rice Weevils (Sitophilus oryzae) with Natural Plant Powders

Grain storage plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security and sustaining agriculture for future generations. However, a wide array of insect pests, including the rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), pose a significant threat to stored grains. This study was conducted at the Laboratory of the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, from October 2019 to March 2020, to evaluate the efficacy of plant-based powders for managing rice weevils. The experiment was designed using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications and seven treatments. These treatments included five botanical powders—Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Polygonum hydropiper (Biskatali), Nicotiana tabacum (Tobacco), and Lantana camara (Lantana)—applied at three dosage levels: 1 g, 3 g, and 5 g…