PJB-2024-338
The effects of natural and artificial diets on the biological aspects of tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hub)
Abdur Rehman
Abstract
The study regarding the effects of natural and artificial diets on the biological aspects of tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hub) was conducted in the Laboratory of Plant Protection (Entomology) at Agriculture Research Institute (ARI) Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. For this purpose, five artificial diets were prepared using chickpea, mungbean, soybean, maize and common bean flour along with basic ingredients (Agar, Ascorbic acid, Casein from Bovine milk, Methyl Paraben, Multivitamin, Sorbic acid, Streptomycin Sulfate and Yeast). These diets were tested for studying the biological attributes of H. armigera in comparison with natural diet i.e. okra fruit. The investigations revealed that chickpea flour based-diet produced healthy larvae and pupae that completed development within the minimum duration of 12.7 and 10.5 days, respectively, while artificial diets based on maize and common bean flour increased larval and pupal duration up to17.5 and 13.4 days, respectively. Likewise, the minimum and maximum larval length of full-grown larvae ranged from 34.2 to 29.8mm was recorded on common bean flour diet and chickpea flour diet, respectively. Mortality of larvae was maximum (20%) on natural okra diet. However, mortality was minimum (4%) on chickpea flour-based diet. Percent male and female emergence was varied in all treatments. Apparently maximum adult emergence of 86% was achieved on chickpea flour diet, followed by natural diet (Okra fruit) (83%), soybean (80.3 %), common bean (78%), mungbean (82%) flour based artificial diets while minimum of 68% was recorded on maize flour-based diet. Longevity of adults ranged from 7.6 to 9.4 days in males and 10.2 to 13.3 days in females were recorded among all tested diets. Pre-oviposition, oviposition, postoviposition, fertility and fecundity were also found better in chickpea flour based artificial diet. The male to female sex ratio obtained after feeding the larvae on different diets differ significantly and was found maximum (1:1.8) on chickpea flour diet and minimum (1:1.4) on common bean flour-based diet. The study concluded that chickpea flour-based diet is very conducive to maintain good quality culture of H. armigera and therefore can be used for successful mass culturing of H. armigera under laboratory conditions.
To Cite this article:
Download
