Vol. 11, Issue 1 (2022)

Author(s):
Ajay Manjhu, Lekha, MK Mahla, Gaurang Chhangani and Kuldeep Kumar

Abstract:
A laboratory experiment to study the host preference of rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. was carried out at the Department of Entomology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur during 2020-21. The biology of rice weevil, S. oryzae was studied on different hosts viz., sorghum, wheat, maize, paddy, barley and oat under laboratory conditions and revealed that the maximum preference for oviposition period (54.00 days), fecundity (276.75 eggs/female), egg hatching (76.67%), the total number of adult emergence (85.00 males & 99.50 females), adult survival (67.96% and 69.26% male & female, respectively), total life cycle (92.25 & 121.25 days for male & female respectively), and shorter incubation period (4.25 days) were recorded on maize hosts; while, minimum preference for oviposition period (37.00 days), fecundity (138.50 eggs/female), egg hatching per cent (61.26%), the total number of adult emergence (32.50 male & 38.50 female, respectively), survival per cent of adult (40.69 & 47.76% for male & female, respectively), total life cycle (74.50 days & 94.75 days for male & female) and longer incubation period (5.75 days) were recorded on oat hosts. The order of host suitability or preference of different cereals were recorded as maize > paddy >sorghum>barley > wheat>oat.