Evaluating Resistance of Wheat Germplasms to Attack by Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum

This study was aimed at examining the resistance of diverse wheat seeds to the attack by red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and the results of experiments are presented in this paper. To this end, 15 wheat varieties were collected from local Plant Genetic resources, and laboratory studies were performed to evaluate the variations in resistance among the composed stuffs. Infestation rates among tested varieties varied and a differentially significant tolerance against pest invasion were observed. Seed of Barani-70 wheat variety was highly tolerant to attack by red flour beetle and variety Wafaq-2001 was more sensitive than other trailed varieties. This finding of resistance provides an opportunity for scientists to focus their attention to develop high yielding wheat varieties having acceptable grain quality and resistance to biological and physical stresses.