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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Evaluation of sesame genotypes against Tribolium castaneum

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11022
Submitted
1 August 2025
Published
30-05-2026

Abstract

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is an important pest of stored sesame seeds. This research aimed to investigate the host preference, growth and development of T. castaneum on 30 sesame genotypes in free and no-choice tests under laboratory conditions. In the free choice test, the lowest and highest numbers of eggs were deposited on 60 KRDS and JLT-7 genotypes, respectively. The mean developmental duration was significantly extended on ES-201862 (81 days), while it was shortest on CT-35 (41 days). Simultaneously, reduced adult emergence and the lowest values of the susceptibility index were noticed on 60 KRDS. The adult survival was significantly low on CT-35 (41.50 %) and significantly high on ES-201862 (81.50 %). Similarly, in a no-choice test, fecundity, mean developmental time, adult emergence, adult survival and susceptibility index were significantly influenced by different sesame genotypes. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a non-significant relationship between the biological parameters of T. castaneum and the physical characteristics of the evaluated sesame genotypes. Further, cluster analysis showed that, among the sesame genotypes, PRAGATHI and EC-334997 were found to be moderately resistant genotypes, while AKT-64 was susceptible. The resistant sesame genotypes could be further evaluated to identify secondary biochemicals that contribute to T. castaneum resistance.

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