CIPHET develops device for detection of insects in stored grains

New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) Ludhiana-based Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) under Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed a mechanical device for detection of insects in stored grains.

The device is capable of instant detection and a fair quantification, of insect infestation in stored food grains. The device facilitates the detection of the presence or absence of live or dead insects in stored grain and it also allows to visualise the egg infestation in the grain sample; that further provides a fair quantification of insect infestation level.

The device has been patented by CIPHET recently and is ready for commercial manufacture through licensing. It is a special type of instrument where due to oscillating motion live insects are forced to come out for detection.

The cost of the instrument will be about Rs 3500 to 4000 and will be useful for Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Ware-housing Corporation (CWC) and other storage godowns where they need to examine the level of infestation as cause of improper storage.

It is even more useful as sampling device in detecting storage pest at regular interval for research institutions involved in scientific storage of food grains like State Agricultural Universities, Agricultural Department of the State Governments, other private grain storage, etc.

Newly developed mechanical device is simple in design and fabrication, portable and in-expensive that provides a unique movement to the grain sample.

As a result of the unique movement in clock-wise and anticlock-wise direction the hiding insects frightened, scared, wander and then screened out from the grain sample.

The device can be suitably used to detect variety of insects such as: grain borer, rice weevil, red flour beetle, rusty grain beetle, and saw-tooth grain beetle in different types of cereals, pulses and oilseeds and similar commodity that become infested during storage.

This device is also capable to detect the carry over infestation from the field harvest.

UNI BBS RC HT1724