Effect Of Storage Temperature On The Development Of Tribolium Castaneum (Herbst) Population In Wheat Flour

The growth and development of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) under the condition ofnatural condition,25,30,35℃and (75±5)%relative humidity was investigated inlaboratory. The relationship between the storage temperature and the growth anddevelopment of T. castaneum in wheat flour, and the relationship between the starvationtolerance, growth, development, reproduction of the T. castaneum and the temperatureswere also studied in the paper. The results are as follows:1、 The results showed that the starvation tolerance of T. castaneum adultssignificantly decreased with the increasing treatment temperatures, and the starvationtolerance of T. castaneum larvae hadn’t significant difference at the range of25～35℃. Atthe same treatment temperature, the starvation tolerance of T. castaneum adults wassignificantly stronger than that of T. castaneum larvae, and the starvation tolerance of T.castaneum females significantly stronger than that of T. castaneum males. At25℃, the T.castaneum adults and larvae exhibited the strongest starvation tolerance, and the averagestarvation tolerance period was40.47d for females,33.10d for males and6.50d for larvae,respectively. The individual starvation tolerance longest period was55.00d for females and51.00d for males, respectively. At35℃, the T. castaneum adults and larvae exhibited theshortest starvation tolerance, and the average starvation tolerance period was23.83d forfemales,17.85for males and4.70d for larvae, respectively.2、 Temperature has an important influence on the population development andreproduction of T. castaneum. The developmental duration of T. castaneum eggs, larvae, pupaand whole generation (egg-to-adult) significantly decreased with increasing temperature, andthere exsited significantly difference at the range of25～30℃. The results showed that thenumber of eggs laid by per female of T. castaneum significantly increased with the increasingtreatment temperatures at the range of25～30℃. For egg, larva and pupa, the developmentalthreshold temperatures were21.48,2.14and13.86℃, respectively, and the effective accumulated temperatures were51.50,666.44and124.00day-degrees, respectively. Thepopulation trend index of T. castaneum decreased with the increasing treatment temperatures,the population trend index was greater than1under the treatment temperatures, which showedthe next generation population of T. castaneum appeared with a increasing trend. The intrinsicrate of increase (rm), net reproductive rate (R0) and finite rate of increase (λ) of T. castaneumincreased with the increasing treatment temperatures; the mean generation time (T) anddouble population time (Dt) of T. castaneum decreased with the increasing treatmenttemperatures.3、The growth of T. castaneum population followed the logistic model equation underthe condition of natural condition,25, and35℃, and didn’t follow the logistic model equationunder30℃.