Screening of chickpea accessions for resistance against the pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Abstract

During storage, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is severely attacked by some bruchid species, especially Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), resulting in losses in quantity and nutritional quality. In the present study, three species of Cicer including five accessions of Cicer arietinum L. (three kabuli and two desi chickpeas), four accessions of C. echinospermum P.H. Davis and five accessions of C. reticulatum Ladiz. were screened for resistance to C. chinensis in both free-choice and no-choice tests in the laboratory. Resistance was evaluated by measuring oviposition (number of eggs per seed), adult emergence (number of holes per seed), damaged seed rate and seed weight loss (%). The results revealed that no eggs were laid by the bruchid females to the C. echinospermum accessions in free-choice test, but in nochoice test only two C. echinospermum accessions (AWC 304 and AWC 305) had few eggs (4.3 and 3.3 eggs/seed, respectively). The highest rate of oviposition occurred in kabuli chickpeas, especially in YAR (25.1 eggs/seed in free-choice test). The accessions exhibited a similar pattern for adult emergence like in the oviposition rates. As for damaged seed rate, no damage was observed in both tests in the C. echinospermum accessions, except AWC 304 (6.7%) in no-choice test. The highest seed damage was seen in kabuli-type accessions, being 100% in YAR and ILC 8617. Considering seed weight loss, no weight loss occurred in the C. echinospermum accessions in both tests (except, AWC 304 in no-choice test) whereas the highest weight loss was seen in the kabuli-type accession, CA 2969 (28.6%) in free-choice test and in the desi type accession, ICC 4957 (35.0%) in no-choice test. Since lower numbers of eggs were laid on hairy, wrinkled/reticulated and dark seed accessions, these features seemed to be important in the preference of the bruchid for host selection and oviposition. These results suggest that resistant varieties can be used as gene sources in breeding new cultivars resistant to C. chinensis.

Cicer turcicum: A New Cicer Species and Its Potential to Improve Chickpea

“…Although more than 3,000 chickpea accessions were evaluated for resistance to C. chinensis at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), no resistance was found in kabuli types. However, while some resistant desi chickpea with thick, rough or tuberculate seed coats have been identified (Reed et al, 1987), wild species such as C. echinospermum were found to be "immune" or free from damage (Eker et al, 2018). Annual Cicer species have already been screened for resistance to seed bruchid prior to the present study, and all accessions of C. echinospermum (100%), some accessions of C. bijugum (42.9%), C. judaicum (12.8%), and C. reticulatum (5%) were outlined to be free from the insect damage (Singh et al, 1998).…”

“…Callosobruchus chinensis L. maintained at the Department of Plant Protection, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey were used in a no-choice test after Erler et al (2009) and Eker et al (2018). Insect rearing was carried out with susceptible chickpea seeds at 26 ± 2 • C and 65 ± 5% RH in complete darkness.…”

“…The damage incidence was classified according to Table 2. A similar scale in Cicer and Pisum species was successfully used by Eker et al (2018) and Esen et al (2019), respectively. Seed weight loss was determined the following formula (Khattak et al, 1995):…”

Impact of environmental conditions and seed physico-chemical characteristics on the resistance of cowpea genotypes to Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) infestation

“…Fifty grams of seeds of each genotype were individually placed in small glass jars (500 ml) before ten pairs (♂/♀) of the newly emerged (not more than 24 h old) adults of C. maculatus were introduced. The jars were then covered with gauze cloth and perforated metal lids to allow the weevils to breathe and avoid any external contamination (Erler et al ., 2009; Eker et al ., 2018). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with five replications.…”

Varietal screening for resistance against field and storage crop pests: An implication for Ethiopian crop variety development

“…Characterization of 130 chickpea genotypes by Keneni et al (2011) in Ethiopia indicated one genotype exhibited complete resistance to adzuki bean beetle; whereas, improved genotypes showed considerably higher susceptibility particularly, in terms of number of eggs per female, adults emerged and seed weight loss. Eker et al (2018), from their laboratory experiment reported that, Desi type chickpea exhibits better resistance characteristic to callosobruchus chinensis than the Kabuli type which means the Kabuli accessions in which their seeds are characterized by creamy colored, smooth surface and ram"s shape are more preferred by the insect than the Desi type. Demissie et al (2014) screened maize varieties to sitotroga cerealla under no-choice test method showed that pratap makka-5 was found the most resistance varieties.…”