Deciphering Host Preference and Resistance of Basmati Rice Varieties against Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Shubham Srivastav
*
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India, Division of Entomology, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India and Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 560089, Karnataka, India.
D.V. Singh
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sushant Kumar
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India and GLA University, Mathura, 581406, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sachin Sharma
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ankit Kumar
Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, Karnal, 132001, Haryana, India.
Bhawana
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut 250110, Uttar Pradesh, India.
M. Devindrappa
Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 560089, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sitophilus oryzaeis a significant and devastating pest of stored cereal grains such as rice, wheat, barley and maize, causes damage to about 10-80 % under prolonged suitable conditions. The research investigation on host preferences of Sitophilus oryzae in unhusked rice, husked rice, barley, wheat, maize, and eight basmati rice varieties. Parameters such as adult emergence (AE), median development period (MDP), growth index (GI), susceptibility index (SI), grain weight loss (%), and grain damage (%) were evaluated. Experiment revealed that the rate of adult emergence was higher in unhusked rice signifying the suitability of the host over maize followed by barley, wheat, and husked rice. Among all basmati rice varieties tested PB-1509 (SI=4.81) showed moderate resistance compared to other varieties. Positive significant correlations were observed among SI and adult emergence (r = 0.967), growth index (r = 0.968), grain weight loss (r = 0.945), and grain damage (r=0.841) but it showed a negative significant correlation with median developmental time (r = − 0.696) indicating that resistance mechanisms can prolong developmental periods, reduce pest generations, and limit damage. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating resistance traits into breeding programs to enhance storage stability and minimize post-harvest losses in Basmati rice-growing regions.
Keywords: Sitophilus oryzae, post-harvest losses, cereal grains, basmati rice, sustainable management