*Corresponding author. E-mail: dmailafiya@gmail.com  

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The knowldege and practice of food grain storage and pest management by traders’ in Dalwa market, Borno State, Nigeria was investigated in this study. Data on socio-economic characteristics, grains storage practices, constraints, pest problems and pest control practices were obtained using a structured questionnaire administered randomly to traders’’ in the market. In addition to having no formal education, most of the traders’’ practiced the storage of three to four different grain types in shared stores. Inadequacy or insufficiency of storage rooms/structures and poor availability or high cost of pesticides were acknowledged to be abiotic factors of serious concern to the traders’. Attack by insect pests, rodents and termites, were found to be more important biotic factors than rotting of crop produce due to infection by micro-organisms. Although the traders’ generally observed moderate pest infestation in bambaranut, millet, sorghum, cowpea, groundnut and maize grains, infestation of the latter three grain types was at times severe. Insect pests found attacking stored cereal grains and pulses included Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius), Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, Rhizopertha dominica (Fabricius), Trogoderma granarium (Everts), rodents (Rattus spp. and Mus spp.), termites (unidentified species), Tribolium castaneum Herbst and Callosobruchus subinnotatus (Pic.). Of which, only the latter two species were ranked to be the least important pests. Most traders’ applied pesticides to protect stored food grains and control pest infestation. Pesticides application was, however, generally practiced with very little or poor technical knowledge. The implications of all the above findings on effective and safe food grain storage are discussed.

Key words: Traders’ knowledge, storage constraints, insect pests, food grain, cereals and pulses, control.

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Citation: Mailafiya DM, Maina YT, Degri MM, Gadzama UN (2014). Traders’ perception of food grain storage and pest management in Dalwa market, Borno State, Nigeria. J. Agric. Crop Res. 2(4): 62-70.