Physicochemical Properties Of Sesame Oil And Varietal Susceptibilty To Tribolium Castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Infestation

Abstract

Five improved sesame varieties (Sesamum indicum) namely E8, 01M, 02M, 03L, and Ex-Sudan were screened in the laboratory for varietal susceptibility to the rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). The physicochemical properties of fixed oil extracted from each variety were also determined. Weight of 100 seeds and mortality of T. Castaneum in different sesame varieties were significant (P<0.05). The number of emerged F 1 larvae from the seeds was significantly different (P< 0.05) among the five varieties with the large-seeded variety (03L) recording the lowest number (1.15). Percentage adult mortality of T. castaneum was positively correlated to percentage oil content of the sesame varieties (r = 0.56; p<0.01); negative correlation was observed between oil pH and larva emergence (r = 0.47; p<0.05). The importance of some physicochemical parameters of sesame oil as indicators of resistance in sesame seeds to T. castaneum and their potential use to generate resistant lines is implied by this work.