4. Discussion
The current data allow us to compare the effectiveness of
methods commonly used by farmers for cowpea storage in the
Sahel of West Africa. Our control treatments revealed the
destructive power of bruchids infesting cowpea grain. After
5 months of storage, there were 3e4 holes per cowpea seed with
seed weight loss approaching 50%. All stages of the pest were
noted in large numbers during the first three months of the
trials. The numbers of insects decreased at the fourth and fifth
months in part because of the depletion of available food