| Abstract: | The apparent and real weight losses caused by the development of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) and Sitophilus oryzae (L.) inside sorghum grains of two size classes were estimated in the laboratory. The amount of food consumed by the developing larvae of S. cerealella was similar in large and small grains; with S. oryzae the amount consumed decreased as grain weight decreased. The conversion factors for percentage weight loss estimates in S. cerealella infested grain are 0.44 (apparent) or 0.51 (real), and 0.60 (apparent) or 0.70 (real) in large and small grains respectively. For S. oryzae the corresponding figures are 0.32 and 0.41 for real loss in large and small grains respectively. The data obtained are compared with other estimates in the literature. |
