Influence of prior feeding experience and food deprivation on flour selection and utilization by the Red Flour Beetle, Triboliumcastaneum (Herbst).
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Date
2020
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Journal ISSN
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Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Abstract
The influence of prior feeding experience and food deprivation on selection and utilization of wheat flour
(WF), melon seed flour (MSF) and mung bean flour (MBF) by Tribolium castaneum reared on WF was
investigated in this study. Flour selection, measured by percentage gravitation and acceptance of the flours
by beetles (when fed and also when starved for 48 hours), was studied in choice and no-choice tests. On the
other hand, T. castaneum’ s utilization of flours for growth and development was determined by monitoring
population changes for three months in each flour type infested with 10 beetle pairs. Results of three-flour
choice tests showed that gravitation (55.56%) and acceptance (54.44%) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in
WF than MSF and MBF. Also, MBF significantly (p < 0.05) had higher beetle gravitation (80.56%) and
acceptance (72.78%) than MSF in a two-flour choice test. In no-choice tests, percentage gravitation and
acceptance of beetles to the control (no flour situation) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to MBF.
Selection of MSF by T. castaneum was, however, not significantly different (p > 0.05) from the control in the
study. Flour utilization followed a similar trend with significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean adults and larvae
numbers in WF (211.33, 81.33) and MBF (87.67, 31.00), respectively compared to MSF (28.33, 7.67) at three
months after infestation. The study concluded that flour selection in T. castaneum is influenced by prior
feeding experience but not by food deprivation status of the beetles. Flour utilization is, however, neither
influenced by prior feeding experience nor by food deprivation.
Description
Keywords
castaneum, host range, choice test, no-choice test, flour
Citation
Ojumoola A.O.,Obikwe E., Oladigbolu A.A. &Adesiyun A.A. (2020): Influence of prior feeding experience and food deprivation on flour selection and utilization by the Red Flour Beetle, Triboliumcastaneum (Herbst). Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Food, Environment and Extension (Agro-Science), 19 (2): 41-47