Effects of larval competition on the performance of fed and non-fed populations of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of larval competition on the performance of fed and non-fed populations of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) at the Pest Management Laboratory of the Department of Crop, Soil and Pest Management, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria at conditions of 28±20C temperature and 55±10% relative humidity. Twenty (20) seeds of Ife brown cowpea were infested with 3 pairs of fed and non-fed populations of C. maculatus in petri dishes with three replications to test for the effects of feeding and larval competition on C. maculatus. Results indicated that fed population of C. maculatus lived longer (13days) and had shorter development period (23days) compared with 10 and 29 days in the unfed population. Fed insects showed significant differences (p