Temperature mediated influence of mycotoxigenic fungi on the life cycle attributes of Callosobruchus maculatus F. in stored chickpea

Environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) are major depletion reasons in granaries. Fungi and insect pests act synergistically in deterioration of grains in storages which results in nutritional damage to the stored food which becomes unpalatable for the consumer. There is a need to establish a timeline for synergistic damage caused by insect pests and mycotoxigenic fungi for better management. For this purpose, inter-action of mycotoxigenic fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum and Alternaria alternata) with Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was studied at different tem-peratures. Development of C. maculatus was observed on fungus inoculated and uninoculated C. arietinum seeds. In fungus inoculated grains the development (Fecundity, larval emergence, pupation rate and adult emergence) of C. maculatus was found more better as compared on uninoculated grain. The population of C. maculatus was decreased by increase in temperature but high temperatures favours more fungi devel-opments. More egg laying was observed at 27 degrees C and 33 degrees C. At tested temperatures, larval emergence was high as compared to other observed life attributes. Infestation of A. flavus and A. niger was also increased with increase of temperatures. Penicillium digitatum and A. alternata infestation were increased in the C. arietinum at 27 degrees C and 30 degrees C respectively. This study will help in measuring the control practices of fungi and insect pest infestations in stored C. arietinum (chickpea) in Pakistan. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Environmental factors, particularly the interaction between fungi and insect pests, play a major role in the deterioration of grains in storage. This study investigated the synergistic damage caused by mycotoxigenic fungi and Callosobruchus maculatus on chickpea seeds at different temperatures. The results showed that the development of C. maculatus was more favorable in fungus-inoculated grains compared to uninoculated grains. The population of C. maculatus decreased with increasing temperature, while higher temperatures favored fungal development. The infestation of A. flavus and A. niger increased with temperature, while P. digitatum and A. alternata infestation was higher at specific temperatures. This research contributes to the understanding of control practices for fungi and insect pest infestations in stored chickpea in Pakistan.