Age‐Specific Survival and Fecundity Life Table of <i>Callosobruchus chinensis</i> (L.) on Selected Pulses in the North‐Western Himalayan Region of India

ABSTRACT Pulses play a crucial role in Indian agriculture, contributing significantly to the national economy through substantial export revenue. India is the largest global producer of pulses. These crops are rich in protein (20%–25% by weight), which is approximately twice that of wheat and three times that of rice. However, pulses are susceptible to various insect pests during storage, with the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis , being a major pest responsible for considerable damage across different pulse varieties. According to life table analysis, the highest Gross Reproductive Rate (GRR) and also Net Reproductive Rate (NRR) were observed in green gram, with values of 56.98 and 34.49, respectively. In contrast, kidney bean exhibited the lowest values for both GRR (26.33) and NRR (8.00). Both the true generation time and doubling time were shortest for green gram (20.70 and 4.05, respectively), while black gram had the longest true generation time (30.97), and kidney bean had the longest doubling time (9.26). Based on intrinsic rate of increase, doubling time, and hypothetical F 2 females, host suitability varied among pulses, with green gram being the most suitable and kidney bean the least. These findings provide insights into population dynamics and host suitability of C. chinensis , which can aid in developing effective storage pest management strategies.