Effect of different levels of bruchid, Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) infestation on chickpea, Cicer arietinum L. in India

Abstract

In a study of the effect of initial infestation of chickpea, with one, two, three, four and five sexual pairs of pulse bruchid, up to F₁ (one generation) and F₂ (two generations), a highly positive correlation (r = 0.949) occurred between population in the F₁ and the number of pairs of beetles, but not up to F₂ generation. Significant correlations of r = 0.921 and r = 0.385 between grain damage (%) and final population also occurred for the F₁ and F₂ generations, respectively, also high positive correlations (r = 0.974 for F, and r = 0.959 for F₂) between loss in grain weight and population. The coefficients of determination revealed that 97% and 92% variability in loss in grain weight was due to the number of pairs of beetles initially released, their final population and per cent grain damage, for the F₁ and F₂ generations, respectively.