Influence of Mango and Phalsa on Life History Traits of Conogethes punctiferalis Using Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Table Analysis

The influence of mango (Mangifera indica) and phalsa (Grewia asiatica) on the life history of Conogethes punctiferalis, using an age-stage, two-sex life table was determined. The mean incubation period was significantly longer in phalsa (4.00 ± 0.14 days) compared to mango (3.63 ± 0.20 days) (p < 0.05). The survival rates for pre-pupae, pupae, male, and female adults were highest on mango (22.05%, 56.37%, 32.74%, and 25.46%, respectively) and lowest on phalsa (21.22%, 53.22%, 23.14%, and 20.27%, respectively). Life expectancy was higher in mango for both males (8.00 days) and females (8.50 days) than in phalsa (5.91 days for males and 6.63 days for females). C. punctiferalis exhibited significantly higher fecundity on mangoes (80.75 eggs) than phalsa (36.63 eggs). No significant differences were found in the APOP, TPOP, and sex ratio of C. punctiferalis (p > 0.05). Significant differences were recorded in r, λ, R0, and GRR of C. punctiferalis when reared on these two host plants (p < 0.05), while T showed no significant difference. The GRR and R0 were notably higher on mango (57.19 and 32.30 offspring/individual, respectively) than phalsa (23.72 and 13.43 offspring/individual, respectively). Exj values for egg to adult showed a gradual decline, with newly laid eggs exhibiting the longest Exj values on mango (50.01 days) compared to phalsa (46.74 days). Vxj values increased at earlier stages, peaking during the pupal stage, and significantly increased for female adults (138.6378 on mango and 41.5938 on phalsa). Reproduction began earlier on mango (42 days) compared to phalsa (50 days), with the fx curve peaking at 44 days on mango and 54 days on phalsa. The highest fx, mx, and lx*mx values were observed on mango and the lowest on phalsa. These findings highlight the importance of host plant selection in the life history traits of C. punctiferalis and suggest that mango is a more optimal host for this pest species than phalsa.