Biology of pulse beetle, callosobruchus chinensis in stored chickpea

Callosobruchus chinensis L. is primary and most destructive pest of stored pulses. Pulse beetle causes not only quantitative but also qualitative losses like nutritive loss and germination loss. The study on biology of C. chinensis on chickpea indicated 5.04 ± 0.69 days incubation period, while larval + pupal period was 25.26 ± 3.95 days. The adult life span for male was 6.30 ± 1.53 days where as for female 7.67 ± 1.18 days. The total life span for male and female was 31.24 ± 3.92 days. The pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods were 7.46 ± 0.99 hours, 7.88 ± 1.20 days and 1.56 ± 0.58 days, respectively. The average egg laid by female was 77.8. The hatchability of eggs recorded as 92 per cent and sex ratio of male and female was 1:0.96.