INTRODUCTION Maize is the highest yielding cereal crop in the world (Whitt et al., 2002). It is of significant importance for countries like Pakistan, where rapid growing population has already out stripped the available food supplies (Khan et al., 2014). Among cereal crops in Pakistan, maize holds 3 rd position after wheat and rice (GOP., 2012). Its share in agriculture is 2.2% and 0.4% in GDP of Pakistan (MOF., 2013-14). During 2015- 16 the area under cultivation was recorded 1144 thousand hectares and production was 2920 thousand tones (GOP, 2016). Also, the existence of low capacity stores, use of local mud bins for storage, un-cleaned and filthy store houses, improper ventilation, leaky and dampness in store houses, inconvenient storages (with broken walls, ceilings and floors) are some of the serious but less noticeable storage problems. The situation is further intensify when storage is done in open areas where insect pests, rodents and birds cause lots of damage (Tunio, 2012). It is estimated that 50% grain production is lost due to improper storage and attack of insects pests in tropical countries including Pakistan (Ahmad and Ahmad, 2002). Different insect pests, attack on maize during storage and among these pests maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais is the most destructive pest (Ebeling, 2002).This pest caused up to 50% losses in stored maize especially when humidity and temperature increase during summer season in the tropical countries (Maqsood et al., 1988; Irshad et al., 1988; Ahmad and Ahmad, 2002). In Pakistan heavy infestation may cause weight losses of as much as 30-40% of produce (CABI, 2005). A number of management techniques are available to control stored products insect pests. The synthetic insecticides are commonly used to control pests in general and stored product pests in particular. However, indiscriminate use of many synthetic insecticides is associated with manifold health and environmental problems, like development of resistance in insect pests, residues in food product, pest resurgence and effect on non-target organisms (Kumar et al., 2007). There are a number of local medicinal plants known for their insecticidal value (Gaselase and Getu, 2009). The application of plant based product for the management of stored product insects is a prehistoric exercise (Qi and Burkholder, 1981). According to Araya and Emana (2009), the insecticidal actions of the botanical powders are broad and variable. Various studies showed that plant extracts have growth inhibitory effects on insect development causing the reduction in larval, pupal and adult weight, extended larval and pupal duration, reduced pupal retrieval and reduced rate of adult emergence (Koul et al., 2008). Plant-derived materials are more readily biodegradable. Farmers can easily and cheaply produce these plant extracts for their use. The integration of insecticidal natural products from locally available plants appear to be quite safe and promising (Jillani et al., 1988; Hanif et al., 2015). Keeping in view the current problems of chemical insecticides, present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of different plant extracts against maize weevil. Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 54(4), 737-741; 2017 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/17.5988 http://www.pakjas.com.pk EVALUATION OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST MAIZE WEEVIL, Sitophilus zeamais (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS Tahir Islam 1,* , Jamshaid Iqbal 1 , Khalid Abdullah 2 and Ejaz Ahmad Khan 1 1 Faculty of Agriculture, Gomal University, D.I. Khan, Pakistan; 2 Ministry of Textile, Pakistan * Corresponding author’s e-mail: deartahirislam@hotmail.com Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the insecticidal potential of extracts of eight plants viz. lemon grass (Cymbopogon flexousus), turmeric (Curcuma longa), basil (Ocimum basilicum), harmal (Peganum harmala), heeng (Ferula assa-foetida), neem (Azadirachta indica), tumma (Citrullus colocynthis) and mint (Mentha arvensis) against maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais using three concentrations (5, 10 and 15%) at three time intervals (2, 4 and 6 days) in the laboratory. The results revealed that maize weevil mortality was increased with the increase in concentration and time interval. Maximum mortality (86.67%) of the pest was observed with the use A. indica extract at 15% concentration after 6 days of application followed by C. colocynthis extract (81.66%), P. harmala (76.66%), C. longa (71.67%), O. basilicum (66.66%), F. assafoetida (61.66%), C. flexousus (58.33%) and M. arvensis (53.33%). The lowest mortality (22.78%) was observed against lowest concentration of C. flexousus. Overall results show that mortality of the insect increased with the increase in concentration and exposure time. Keywords: Stored grain insect pests, botanicals, stored maize, toxicity