This document summarizes information about two types of pulse beetles: the gram dhora (Callosobruchus chinenesis) and the mung dhora (Callosobruchus analis). It describes their distribution, host range, biology, life cycle, damage caused, and recommendations for management. The gram dhora feeds on grains like gram, mung, peas, and lentils, while the mung dhora prefers mung, moth, peas and cowpeas. Both beetles pass through egg, larva and pupa stages inside the grains, with the larvae feeding and developing within the seeds. Multiple generations are completed per year, causing significant damage to stored pulses.

1. Assingnment on Pluse Beetles
Submitted to:-Dr. Swati Mehra
Submitted by:-Vishnu Kumar
K2015A55BIV

2. Gram dhora:-Callosobruchus chinenesis
Family:-Bruchidae, Order:-Coleoptera.
Distribution:-India,SriLanka,Myanmar,China,Japan,Indonesia.
Host range:-It is main pest of gram,mung,peas,cowpeas,lentil
and arhar.

3. Biology:-Eggs laid singly on grains.
• Fresh eggs are translucent white in color.
• Larva fleshy,curved,6-7mm.long and creamy white in color
with black mouth.
• Pupation takes place in a pupal cell prepared beneath the
seedcoat.
• Adults are 3-4mm.long with oval shaped body.
• Brownish grey in colour with dark spots.

4. Life cycle:-The pest breeds from March to November.
• It hibernates in winter in larval stage.
• At the end of March adult appear and copulate.
• A day later female lay eggs.
• Egggs hatch in7-14 days.
Body is pointed towards front.
Adults are short lived and it is harmless and do
not feed on stored grain.

5. • Pupal stage lasts for 4-28 days.
• The average life-span of an adult is 5-20 days.
• It completes 7-8 generations in a year.
• Young larvae bores into the grain and
completes its development inside in
10-12 days in August and in 4-5 weeks
in November.

7. Damage:-Damage is done by grubs only.
• Damage is at peak from March to September.
• Infested grain is often coverd by the traders into flour.
• It could eat away the entire seed content leaving only shell.

8. Mung dhora:-Callosobruchus analis
Family:-Bruchidae,
Order:-Coleoptera.
Distribution:-It has been recorded from
Germany,Myanmar and India.
Host range:-Mung,moth,peas,cowpeas and
other pulses.

9. Biology:-Both adults and larvae cause damage.
• Eggs are oval,whitish and glued to grain.
• Larva is recognized by its creamy-white,oval-shape.
• Adult is an oval-shaped beetle,smaller than Gram dhora.
• Female is chocolate color with a black trapezoidal area
surrounded by white streaks on three sides.
• The male is uniformly chocolate with a tinge of straw.

10. Life cycle:-They breeds from March to December.
• Hibernates in winter in the larval stage.
• In first week of March, adult escape by cutting out a circular
hole in the grain.
• Soon after copulation takes place and eggs are laid in
72hrs.of mating.
• Incubation period is changes with temperature,in May 3-6
days and in 18 days in December.

11. • The young larva,on emergence,bores into grains.
• Larval stage is of 2-3 weeks.
• Fully grown larva pupate inside the grain.
• Pupal stage is of 1-2 weeks.
• Life of adult varies from 5-10 days.
• The insect completes 9-19 generations in a year.

12. Damage:-Maximum damage is done in April to August.
• The larvae feed and breed inside the grain consuming entire
contents.
• When the infested grain happens to be in a poorly aerated
receptacle,a foul smelling fungus also develops.

13. Management of Pulse beetle:-Exposure of grains to sunlight.
• Dry grain before storage at a moisture level of 7%.
• Store the pulses in bulk with 7cm.layer of sand.
• Fumigation with Aluminium phosphide.
• Coat grain with small quantities of vegetable oil or mix neem
leaves in grain.