| Loss assessment of alfalfa seed infested by chalcid (Bruchophagus roddi Guss.) in Zanjan province |
| Paper ID : 1223-3IICE (R1) |
| Authors: |
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Aref Marouf *1, Rouhollah Ahmadi2, Mahmoud Maleki1 1Zanjan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center 2Hamadan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center |
| Abstract: |
| Alfalfa is one of the most important crops in Zanjan province. In addition to forage production, alfalfa seed production has special importance. Alfalfa seed chalcid causes significant reduction of alfalfa seed yield. The pest, Bruchophagus roddi Guss (Hym.: Eurytomidae), is dispersed in all alfalfa fields of Iran. The damage level of the pest has not been investigated yet. In the present study, the amount of the damage of alfalfa seed by chalcid was evaluated in Zanjan province. Three alfalfa fields were selected in either regions of Zanjan and Khodabandeh and each field was divided into four of 20 m2 in size. Hamedani alfalfa cultivar were planted in all of the selected fields. Sampling were done four times and the last time was coincided with the seed ripening in pods. Thirty alfalfa stems of 20-25 cm in length were collected from each block in each sampling time. The number of pods per stem, the number of seeds per pods, the number of seeds perforated in twenty premature pods, and the number and the percentage of chalcid-infested seeds per 500 seeds kept in warehouse were recorded. Based on the results, a significant difference (t= 3.75, P=0.001) was observed between the mean number of pods in Zanjan (54.53±2.47 pods/stem) and Khodabandeh (44.42±1.38 pods/stem). No significant differences (t=-0.25, P=0.802) was observed between the mean number of the seeds per pod in Zanjan (6.61±0.08 seeds/pod) and Khodabandeh (6.64±0.06 seeds/pod). Also a significant difference (t=2.10, P=0.046) was observed between the mean number of premature infested seeds (PIS) in Zanjan (0.17±0.05 PIS/pod) and Khodabandeh (0.06±0.01 PIS/pod). Finally a significant difference (t=5.97, P<0.000) was observed between the mean of damage percentage of chalcid (stored seeds with holes) in Zanjan (11.96±1.26%) and Khodabandeh (3.94±0.45%). Considering the economic value of alfalfa seed production, management of the pest is recommended. |
| Keywords: |
| Loss assessment, Alfalfa, Hamedani Alfalfa, seed chalcid, |
| Status : Paper Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
