PICS bags protect wheat grain, Triticum aestivum (L.), against rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

• PICS bags were evaluated for control of rice weevil in stored wheat.
• Triple-layer PICS bags effectively prevented the buildup of rice weevil populations.
• PICS bags greatly reduced weevil-caused losses in germination.
• Farmers in developing nations can confidently use PICS bags for wheat grain storage.

Purdue Improved Crop Storage Bags (PICS) bags are hermetic containers consisting of two inner layers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) surrounded by an outer woven polypropylene bag. They have proven effective in preventing losses of stored cowpea grain to the cowpea bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and perform well with other dry grains attacked by several species of postharvest pests. We tested PICS bags against the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a common stored grain pest. Storing rice weevil infested wheat in PICS bags arrested weevil population growth and preserved the grain well. The air surrounding infested wheat held in PICS bags had lower oxygen and higher carbon dioxide levels compared to the ambient atmosphere. Seed germination declined over time in infested PICS bags, but less so than did grain held in infested woven bags. Low-cost, durable, pesticide-free PICS technology offers an inexpensive, practical and useful way to protect wheat against rice weevil.