Muhammad Siddique Khanzada

Evaluation Resistance Recently Evolved Wheat Varieties to Trogoderama: Evaluation of Resistance of Recently Evolved Wheat Varieties to Khapra Beetle Trogoderama Granarium (Everts) Muhammad Siddique Khanzada

Wheat Triticum aestivum L. is the important cereal crop and staple food of people of Pakistan. It occupies the first position in area amongst the cereal crops and covers about 65% of food crop area of the country. Cereals constitute a major part of food throughout the world and agro-based industries depend upon their production. Considerable amount of damage in caused by insect pests to stored wheat in Pakistan. The damage caused by insect pest to wheat grain has been estimated at 10 to 20%. Most favorable grain moisture range for storage insect pests is from 12 to 18 percent. It is important to control insect population size before grain is irrevocably damaged by boring, feeding and mold germination. The Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium), which originated in South Asia, is one of the world?s most destructive pests of grain products and seeds. It is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. Adult beetles are brownish and 2 to 3 millimetres long. Immature larvae are up to 5 millimeters long and are covered in dense, reddish-brown hair. The eggs of the khapra beetle are cylindrical with one end more rounded and the other more pointed, about 0.7 mm long and 0.25 mm.