Screening of Some Promising Genotypes of Bengal Gram (Cicer arietinum L.) against Callosobruchus chinensis L. under In vitro Conditions

The objective of the study is to evaluate the relative susceptibility of various chickpea genotypes to infestation by C. chinensis, a major storage pest of pulses. The present investigation was carried out during the Kharif season (July to October) of 2021 in the laboratory of the Department of Entomology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur (U.P.), India. A total of 22 genotypes of chickpea were evaluated for screening against C. chinensis. The results revealed significant variation among genotypes in terms of oviposition, adult emergence, developmental period, growth index and seed weight loss. The minimum number of eggs (56.36 ± 0.37) was recorded on genotype CL 21, while the maximum (176.33 ± 0.66) occurred on genotype CL 7. Correspondingly, adult emergence was highest in CL 7 (45.32 ± 1.30) and lowest in CL 13 (10.6 ± 0.55), with the adult emergence percentage ranging from a minimum of 11.74 ± 0.40% in CL 8 to a maximum of 26.89 ± 0.62% in CL 16. The total developmental period of C. chinensis varied significantly across genotypes, with the longest duration (29.35 ± 1.01 days) observed in insects reared on CL 8 and the shortest (21.33 ± 0.86 days) on CL 9. The growth index, a key indicator of pest fitness, was highest on genotype CL 4 (0.74 ± 0.001) and lowest on CL 18 (0.031 ± 0.001). In terms of seed damage, the genotype CL 4 suffered the highest weight loss (48.333 ± 0.83%), whereas CL 18 exhibited the least (5.667 ± 0.14%) at 30 and 50 days after insect release (DAIR). These findings underline the importance of selecting resistant genotypes as part of an integrated pest management approach, minimizing the reliance on chemical control methods.