Species Composition and Diversity of Stored Grain Pests in Fortified Rice Collected from Different Districts of Telangana State, India

A study was conducted to measure the species composition and diversity of various stored grain insect pests in fortified rice collected from different districts of Telangana,India during 2023-2024. Theresults indicated that a total of six species of stored grain insects belonging to three orders viz., Coleoptera (3), Lepidoptera (2) and Psocoptera (1) were recorded in fortified rice. The six insect species were rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, Saw toothed beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, redflour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella, rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica and pscocids. Among all these insects highest population of O. surinamensis was recorded in four districts of Telangana except in Ranga reddy and Nalgonda. The diversity indices indicated that Shannon-weiner diversity index (H) was high in Warangal district samples(H=1.426) while the Jagtial population recorded highest Margalef’s species richness index (R=1.27). The highest Pielou’s evenness index was reported from Nalgonda district (e=75), and Simpson diversity index of stored grain pests was found to be maximum (0.718) in Warangal district rice samples. The knowledge on species composition and diversity helps in planning timely management strategies for stored grain pests.