Vol. 11, Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
G Arul, KC Kumawat, Akhter Hussain and Suman Choudhary

Abstract:
The Pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis L. is considered as economically important pest of storage grain legumes because of its polyphagous feeding habit and quantitative loss caused by it. The pesticidal impact on environment necessitates the development of irradiation technique for its management. The current study aimed to study the effect of ultra violet rays on growth and development of pulse beetle. The adults of pulse beetle were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light (254 nanometres) for different time periods (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 minutes) and each replicated thrice. These were transferred into the Petri dishes having black paper in the bottom and 3 gram sterilized and conditioned chickpea grains on it. The culture of unexposed beetles was maintained for comparison. The different time period levels were maintained in the laminar flow cabinet using ultra-violet radiations (254 nanometres). The fecundity (180.00/ 2 females), hatchability (87.41%), pupation (81.77%) and adult emergence (F₁) (124.66) were maximum in the unexposed beetles, whereas, minimum in beetles exposed for 16 min (42.00 eggs/ 2 female, 34.13%, 25.46% and 3.00 respectively) under UV radiation.