Objectives
In this present study, the rice packaging with ProvisionGard® (PG) adhesive additive was
evaluated against the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), a common stored-product
insect pest that infests packaged products in warehouses and retail environments.
Materials and Methods
Rice was packaged in 0.45 kg (1 lb) and 9.1 kg (20 lb) film bags. Control bags without
ProvisionGard® had multi-colored packaging on the outside, and the PG treated bags with
ProvisionGard® had only black and white markings. Three bags of control and three bags treated
with PG with 1 lb rice were placed in separate 3.78 L plastic containers (Fig 1). Similarly, three
bags of control and three of PG treated bags with 20 lb of rice were placed in separate 53 L
plastic containers. A black rubber ring of 2.5 cm diameter was placed on the top bag in the
container, and 100 eggs (< 24 h old) of Indian meal moth were confined inside the ring.
Hatchability of Indian meal moth eggs was 85%. About 5 g of Indian meal moth diet
(Subramanyam and Cutkomp 1987) was sprinkled inside each container. All containers were
kept on the shelf at room conditions (25°C and 28% r.h.) for three months before evaluation.
There were three replications for 1 lb bags and two for 20 lb bags.
