A SIMPLE MASS REARING METHOD FOR BRINJAL SHOOT AND FRUIT BORER <i>LEUCINODES ORBONALIS</i> GUENEE

Abstract

A simple, effective and economically cheaper method for mass rearing of the brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee was developed using both modified artificial diet fortified with brinjal powder and natural diet - potato. A comparison of the various biological parameters such as egg incubation period, larval period, larval weight (12-day old), pre-pupal period, pupal period, pupal weight (1-day old), adult longevity, fecundity, oviposition period and sex ratio of different life stages of the test-insect were studied for both the food sources in this investigation. The larval and pupal periods on natural (potato) diet were 14.58± 1.51 and 6.7± 1.22 days respectively, with a mean fecundity of 165.55± 36.26 per female and a mean life cycle of 26.91days. The larval and pupal period of shoot and fruit borer reared on modified diet were 15.97± 1.24 and 6.25± 1.23 days respectively with a mean fecundity of 149.45± 25.83 per female and a mean life cycle of 25.26 days. Provision of a suitable site for adult mating and oviposition was attained by designing a separate mating chamber along with a suitable egg laying substratum. Thus, an easy and economical rearing technique could successfully support the rearing to six generations of target-insect in laboratory.