رشا عبد الرزاق جواد الطائي

Abstract Maize, scientifically known as Zea mays L., holds significant agricultural value worldwide, serving as a staple food source and industrial cereal. It is grown across diverse environmental settings to meet varying demands. Corn is susceptible to infestation by a range of insect pests, with the stem-boring lepidopterans posing a particularly severe threat and leading to substantial reductions in crop yield. The biodetrimental effects of different treatments (plant extracts and bio-agents) on the pink corn borer, Sesamia cretica was investigated. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the compounds tested had a significant impact on the management of the pink corn borer, S. cretica. The outcomes indicate that treating corn hybrids with biological substances could be highly beneficial as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy for corn crops in Egypt, aiming to prevent environmental contamination and potential risks to humans and animals, all while striving to enhance maize yield both in terms of quantity and quality through the implementation of a comprehensive pest control program targeting insects that infest maize fields. Key words: Integrated Pest Management - Maize - Alternative chemical pesticides- yield

Abstract Microcin was extracted and formulated from Citrobacter spp. isolated from a healthy human. The results showed that there is a deleterious effect on the survival of khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), which is a major pest of stored grains. Microcin has been used as Bio-insecticides to overcome the disadvantages of chemical pesticides. Biological control is one of the main components of IPM in recent years. This laboratory study was to evaluate the insecticidal activity of antibiotic microcin. The oral delivery of microcin caused a dose-dependent effect, with 100% mortality of adult at concentrations of 62.5mg/ml after 10 days. Moreover, the toxicity of microcin was tested against the larvae, T. granarium which caused 30% mortality at 500 mg/ml after 10 days. Larvae were more tolerant than adults to the microcin. This study demonstrates the potential power of using microcin as a new approach for the control of T. granarium. Also, the results of this study showed that the germination of wheat grains treated with different concentrations (62.5, 125, 250 and 500 mg/ml) of microcin did not affect by the microcin treatment. Key word: microcin, Citrobacter spp., antibiotic, insecticide, T. granarium