Study the effect of different temperature and relative humidity combination on growth and development of Callosobruchus chinensis on Bengal gram

Abstract

In the laboratory at Department of Agricultural Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, the growth and development of the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis, was evaluated under storage conditions on different combinations of temperature (20 °, 30 °, and 40 ° C) and relative humidity (RH) levels (50, 60, 70, 80, and 90%) in Bengal gram during 2022 and 2023. The findings indicated that temperature and relative humidity were significant factors in the development of different stages of the pulse beetle. The most favorable conditions for egg laying were 30 °C and 70% relative humidity, where females were capable of laying up to 84.50 eggs per female. Fecundity and the ovipositional period were not significantly impacted by the low temperature of 20 °C. However, fecundity and the ovipositional period decreased at a high temperature of 40 °C. The most suitable temperature and relative humidity combination for completing the shortest incubation period (5.07 days), larval period (20.10 days), pupal period (4.10 days), and total developmental period (28.49 days) was found to be 30 °C and 70% relative humidity. This combination also produced the highest rates of egg hatching (99.44%) and adult emergence (95.89%). A high temperature of 40 °C in different humidity levels prevented the eggs from hatching. Based to several parameters, a suitable temperature and relative humidity for the growth and development of the pulse beetle, C. chinensis, were 30 oC and 70%, respectively.