author(s)
Kavita Kumawat, BS Rana, Dinesh Kachhawa and HK Jain

abstract
A laboratory experiment was conducted at Department of Entomology, Rajasthan college of Agriculture, Udaipur during December, 2013 to December 2015 to study the effect of five temperature (20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C) and five relative humidity (50, 55, 60, 65 and 70%) on the biology of Rhizopertha dominica on wheat grains (variety Lok-1). The combination of 30°C temperature and 70 per cent relative humidity was preferred by the pest where maximum fecundity (240.60 eggs/female), highest egg hatching per cent (87.50) and maximum adult survival per cent (78.83). Minimum incubation period (5.33 days), minimum duration of larval and pupal period (31.17 days) and shortest developmental period from egg to adult stage (36.50 days) was recorded at 35°C temperature and 70 per cent relative humidity, but adult longevity of male and female adult was recorded to 40.80 and 42.00 days, respectively at 35°C temperature and 60 per cent relative humidity. The interaction of temperature and relative humidity at 20°C and 50 per cent retarded the growth and development of R. dominica by giving longest hatching period (16.50 days), maximum larval and pupal period (81.83 days) and longest developmental period from egg to adult (98.33 days) whereas, minimum fecundity (47.47 eggs/female), minimum hatching (34.17%), minimum adult survival (30.83%) and maximum longevity of adult male (66.50 days) and female (67.70 days).