Title of Invention

A DEVICE TO REMOVE INSECT EGGS FROM STORED PULSE SEEDS

Abstract

The invention disclosed In this application relates to a device for removing insect eggs from stored pulses which comprises an outer container (I) enclosing a perforated inner container (2) the containers being fixed rigidly to each other in such a way that they define a gap between them, the perforations in the perforated container being such that the perforation do not permit the pulses to pass through them but permit the insects to pass through them, the containers being provided with a lid at their tops, the lid having an opening at its center through which passes a rotatable rod provided with smooth brushes (3) fixed equispaced along the rods, the ends of the brushes touching the inner wads of perforated container, the rod being fixed to the bottom of the inner container and passing through the opening provided to the lid, the rod being provided with means (4) to rotate, a tube (5) one end of which being fixed to an opening provided at the center of the bottom side of the outer container the other end being provided with a transparent container (6) to collect the insects falling down from the inner perforated container.

Full Text

This invention relates to a device to remove insects from stored pulse seeds This invention particularly relates to a device for removing Callosobruchus cements and Callosobruchus maculatus insects from stored seeds The device of the invention is useful for safeguarding stored grains from serious damage and consequent loss of valuable grains PRIOR STATE OF ART DETAILS Mechanical control such as removing insects from the infested commodity and removing residual food sources; grain m granaries, split grain in handling facilities, f]our in flour mills have been attempted for pests of stored grain. It has long been recognized that periodic transfer to large stores of grain from one bin to another noticeably reduced post damage due to impact. (Cotton, R.T. and H.E. Gray. 1948.preservation of grains and cereal products in storage from insect attack. FAO Agric. Studies, 2: 35-7L and Jeff , A. 1963. The effect of physical disturbance (or) turning of stored maize on the development of insect infestation : I. Grain elevator studies. S. Afr. J. Agric. Sci. 6: 55-64.). Although it was originally thought that grain transfer slowed growth of pest populations by lowering temperatures and dissipating moisture, subsequent research (Joffe, A. and B. Clarke. 1963. The effect of physical disturbance (or) turning of stored maize on the development of insect infestations 11. Laboratory studies with Sitophihix oryzae (L.). S. Afr J. Agric. Sci., 6: 65-84 ; Bailey, S.W. 1969. The effects of physical stress in the grain weevil Silophilus granarius. J. Stored Prod. Res., 5: 311-324. And Loschiavo, S.R. 1978. !:ifect of disturbance of wheat on four species of stored product insects. J, Econ. Entomol. 71: 888-893.) established that the effect is mainly due to damaging impacts to insects, particularly prepupae and pupae, inside the grain seeds. For example, various Silophilus spp. which attack cereals in storage are killed by impact seeds of ca 4 m/s or greater (Bailey, S.W- 1969. The effects of physical stress in the grain weevil Silophilus granarius. J. Stored Prod. Res., 5: 311-324. And Loschiavo, S.R. 1978. Effect of disturbance of wheat on four species of stored product insects. J. Econ. Entomol. 71: 888-893.). However, pest control via mechanical impact has not been widely adopted for stored products probably because of concern over damage to seeds receiving adequate impact forces needed to kill most pest with few iterations of the treatment. However, Quentin el al. (199!) {Quentin, M.E,, J.L. Spencer and J.R. Miller, 1991. Bean tumbling as a control measure for the common bean weevil, Acanfhoscelides obfecfus. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 60: 105-109.) developed a technique called bean tumbling as a control measure for common bean weevil Acanlhocelides oblecius (Say). Which has its origin in Central America. This weevil is more common in Central America and not in India. Acanlhoscelides oblecius is a serious pesl of common bean {Phaseolus vulgaris) and lima beans [Phaseolus lunatus). It has been recorded on a number of other legumes including cowpeas in Mexico. But it seldom achieves pest status except when attaching P. vulgaris (or) P. lunatus. The eggs are laid loosely (in contrast to Callosobruchus sp that occur commonly in India) but are often lodged under cracks in the bean testa. Recognizing that it takes Acanlhoscelides oblecius (Say) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) larvae over 24 h to bore into a dry red kidney bean {Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and that boring can occur only at particular sites where a bean abuts some other surfaces, they postulated that this pest might be controlled by periodic tumbling of beans so as to place initiated hoies out of register with requisite touching surfaces. Larvae repeatedly forced to initiate holes might die of exhaustion, if not smashed by tumbling beans. Indeed, brief daily tumbling of beans held in half-filled jars, buckets and gunny sacks reduced .A oblecius populations of 97% relative to stationary controls. They recommend that small lots of beans can be protected indefinitely from the bean weevil when stored in Under Indian condition this beetle species namely Callosobruchus chinensis and Callosobruchus maculalus are predodminant species attacking stored pulses. Perhaps in this situation, protocols of mechanical disruption can be devised that will remove eggs during tumbling. The importance of" the device of the present invciilioii may be Linderst(H>d o\' knowing the importance of pulses in Indian nulrilitin. pulses being .', a rich sources of protein offer the most practical means of solving mal nutrition in our country. Pulses are more difficult to store than cereals as these suffer a great damage during storage by pulse beetle Calhsuhruchus sp. The main source of infestation by pulse beetle is it's carry over daniiige from field to stores which is well known (Mohan, S. and P.V. Subba Rao. 2000. First record of Calhsobruchus maculatus (F.) infesting blaek gram Vi^na mungo (L.) Hepper and green gram Vigna radiala (L.) Wilczek under field conditions was in 'lainll Nadu^ull Grain Teeh. 33(1): 73-74.) ,During pre-harvest stage in the field, the adults are active and lay eggs in the matured pods. The harvested produce eontains either eggs (or) grubs (or) pupae. These young ones emerge as adults generally 10-20 days after storage ant! though they are generally minimum ( So far removal of eggs of Calhsobruchus chinensis and Callosohnichus maculatus have not been attempted. The device of the present invention after repeated studies under laboratory conditions clearly established a new technology The main objective of the present invention to provide a device to remove insects from stored pulses Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device which will prevent the damge of the "pulses" from pulse beetle Calhsobruchus chinensis and Calhsobruchus maculatus during their storage. Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a device that will maximize crushing of eggs during tumbling without damage to seeds Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a device which will prevent the damge of the "pulses" from pulse beetle Callosobruchus chinemis and Callosobruchus maculalus during their storage which will be cheap , efficient and easily operatable . Taking into consideration of alf the above facts the present invention was developed with the objective of crushing the eggs laid by the field carried over beetles, so that there will not cause dainage the stored seeds. An embodiment of the present invention has been shown in the drawing accompanying this specification In the drawings Fig 1 represents the plan view of the device Fig 2 is a cross section taken along the vertical lines from top to bottom Accordingly the present invention provides a device for removing insect eggs from stored pulses which comprises an outer container {]} enclosing a perforated inner container (2) the containers being fixed rigidly to each other in such a way that they define a gap between them, the perforations in the perforated container being such that the perforation do not permit the pulses to pass through them but permit the insects to pass through them, the containers being provided with a iid at their tops, the iid having an opening at its center through which passes a rotatable rod provided with smooth brushes (3) fixed equispaced along the rods, the ends of the brushes touching the inner walls of perforated container, the rod being fixed to the bottom of the inner container and passing through the opening provided to the lid, the rod being provided with means (4) to rotate, a tube (5) one end of which being fixed to an opening provided at the center of the bottom side of the outer container the other end being provided with a transparent container (6)) to collect the insects falling down from the inner perforated container. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the outer and inner container can be fabricated either with stainless steel or galvanized iron. In another preferred embodiment of the invention the gap between outer and inner container may range from 3 to 5 cm. In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention the size of perforation in the perforated container being in the range of 3 to 3.2 mm. In still another preferred embodiment of the invention the brushes fixed to the rotating rod may be made of plastic, the thickness of the individual plastic bristles ranging from 0.5 to 1mm. In another preferred embodiment of the invention the tube, which is connected to the bottom side of the outer container may be made of plastic/PVC or any other such material and may be transparent to facilitate observing the insects fallen The invention is described in detail in the Examples given below which are provided to iliustrate the invention only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention Example: 1 The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of CaUosobruchus chinensis were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. 25 seeds with one day old single egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was rolled one frill circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of adult beetles. The germination of the treated seeds were a/so studied. The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due to treatment was also recorded by selecting randomly 100 seeds after each treatment. Example: 2 The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of Callosobruchus chinensis were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. 50 seeds with one day old singJe egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was rolled one full circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of adult beetles, The germination of the treated seeds were also studied. The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due to treatment was also recorded by selecting randomly 100 seeds after each treatment. Example: 3 The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of Callosobruchus chinensis were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. 100 seeds with one day old single egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was rolled one full circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of aduh beetles. The germination of the treated seeds were also studied. The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due lo ircalmcnl was also recorded by selecting randomly 100 seeds after each treatment. The table given below illustrates the efficiency of the device of the present invention in removing the eggs of pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of Callosobruchus maculatus were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. 25 seeds with one day old single egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was rolled one full circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of adult beetles. The germination of the treated seeds were also studied/ The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due to treatment was also recorded by selecting randomly 100 seeds after each treatment. Example: 5 The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of Callosobruchus maculatus were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. 50 seeds with one day old single egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was roiled one full circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of adult beedes. The germination of the treated seeds were also studied. The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due to treatment was also recorded by selecting randomly 100 seeds after each treatment. Example: 6 The inner perforated container was first filled with green gram upto 3/4 level. For easy identification and observation, black gram seeds with eggs of Callosobruchus . maculalns were introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. one hundred seeds with one day old single egg was introduced into the inner container and thoroughly mixed. The rotating rod was rolled one full circumference (clockwise and anticlockwise) for 10 minutes every morning, noon and evening for a period of 3 days, as generally after three days the eggs hatch and start entering the grains. After treatment the blackgram seeds were taken out and kept in separate container for a period of 40 days for observation (as it takes 30 - 40 days for pulse beetle to complete one generation), to see any emergence of adult beetles. The germination of the treated seeds were also studied. The experiment was repeated 10 times in each treatment. For all treatments a control was maintained for comparison. The mechanical damage to grain due to treatment was also recorded by selecting randomly ] 00 seeds after each treatment. The Table 2 giveo belotv shows the efficiency of the new device in removing the eggs of pulse beetle Callosobruchus maculatus RESULTS The results showed 100 per cent effectiveness of the device of the present invention in crushing the eggs of C chinensis and C. maculaius., the two main insects causing damages to the pulses seeds in India No adults emerged from the biackgram seeds which were subjected to treatment with eggs. Compared to this, the damage in control, in all the trials were > 90 per cent. The germination was not affected in any of the treatment. The mechanical damage to seeds due to treatments ranged from 0-1% only in all the trials. ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION (i). The device is useful in removing the eggs without affecting the germination. (ii) Once the eggs are removed there will not be further build up of population during storage of seeds. (iii) As the field carry over infestation forms the major source of infestation of pulse beetle, removing the eggs laid by them will have a significant impact in arresting the population build up in storage. (iv) Farmers generally fear to store pulse seeds because of the pulse beetle damage during storage. The device of the present invention can remove this fear from the farmers mind and thus motivate them "to have their own seeds". (v) The long tube at the bottom of the outer container which ends in a collection device is mainly designed and attached to the unit to help the farmers for timely detection of adult beetle emergence from the grains, as the beetles emerging from the grains stored in the inner perforated container, enter the perforation and due to their wandering behaviour get trapped in the collection device. As soon as the farmers notice beetles in the collection device they can start operating of the device and the eggs laid by the emerged beetles could be removed. We Claim l. A device for removing insect eggs from stored pulses which comprises an outer container (I) enclosing a perforated inner container (2) the containers being fixed rigidly to each other in such a way that they define a gap between them, the perforations in the perforated container being such that the perforation do not permit the pulses to pass through them but permit the insects to pass through them, the containers being provided with a lid at their tops, the lid having an opening at its center through which passes a rotatable rod provided with smooth brushes (3) fixed equispaced along the rods, the ends of the brushes touching the inner walls of perforated container ,the rod being fixed to the bottom of the inner container and passing through the opening provided to the lid, the rod being provided with means (4) to rotate, a tube (5) one end of which being fixed to an opening provided at the center of the bottom side of the outer container the other end being provided with a transparent container (6) to collect the insects falling down from the inner perforated container. 2. A device as claimed in claiml wherein the outer and inner container is fabricated either with stainless steel or galvanized iron. 3. A device as claimed in claims 1 & 2 wherein the gap between outer and inner container may range from 3 to 5 cm. 4. A device as claimed in claims 1 lo 3 wherein the size of perforation in the perforated container is in the range of 3 to 3.2 mm. 5. A device as claimed in claims 1 to 4 wherein the brushes fixed to the rotating rod is made of plastic , the thickness of the individual plastic bristles ranging from 0.5 to 1mm. 6.- A device as claimed in claims i to 5 wherein the tube, which is connected to the bottom side of the outer container is made of plastic / PVC or any other such material and is transparent to facilitate observing the insects fallen 7. A device for removing insect eggs from stored pulses substantially as herein described with reference to Figs 1 & 3 of the drawing accompanying this specification

Documents:

0510-mas-2002 abstract-duplicate.pdf

0510-mas-2002 abstract.pdf

0510-mas-2002 claims-duplicate.pdf

0510-mas-2002 claims.pdf

0510-mas-2002 correspondence-others.pdf

0510-mas-2002 correspondence-po.pdf

0510-mas-2002 description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

0510-mas-2002 description (complete).pdf

0510-mas-2002 drawings-duplicate.pdf

0510-mas-2002 drawings.pdf

0510-mas-2002 form-1.pdf

0510-mas-2002 form-19.pdf