The objective of this article is to determine the effect of seed type, as an egg-laying substrate, on the biodemographic parameters of the cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus). The parameters studied here are female egg laying and embryonic development. To this end, one group of individuals was allowed to lay eggs on Barkedji seeds and another group on Fouta seeds. These two localities belong, respectively, to the Sylvopastoral and Senegal River Valley agro-ecological zones (ZAE).

The effect of seed origin on the embryonic development of C. maculatus is negligible. Indeed, with Barkedji seeds, females lay an average of 55.60 ± 19.144 eggs, whereas Fouta seeds result in only 45 ± 18.577 eggs per female. However, egg fertility and larval survival are higher with Fouta seeds than with Barkedji seeds (72.666% and 62.589%, respectively, with a p-value of 0.148 for fertility; 84.403% and 78.448%, with a non-significant p-value of 0.5428). The emergence rate obtained from Barkedji seeds (49%) is lower than that of Fouta seeds (61%), with a p-value of 0.364.