Evaluation of natural, semi-artificial and artificial diets on mass rearing of carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Document Type : Research paper-Persian

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student of Agricultural Entomology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

2 Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Karaj, Iran

3 Professor, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

4 Associate Professor, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

Abstract

Background and Objectives
The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Lepidoptera Pyralidae), is a major pest of pomegranate and its damage is economic in Iran and many parts of the world. This study was conducted to determine an optimized diet either biologically or economically for mass rearing of the pest. In particular, sterile insect technique at industrial scales is highly dependent on successful mass rearing of the pest.
Materials and Methods
In the present study, the effects of four diets including pomegranate dough, apple dough, artificial and semi-artificial diets on biological parameters of E. ceratoniae were studied. Pomegranates and apples with no infestation were chosen and mixed wholly using kitchen blender. Fruit dough was oven dried for 24 h at 60 degrees of Celsius after adding 1 g methyl paraben per kilogram of the diet.   
Results
The results showed that, the longest and shortest duration of the immature development time were on pomegranate dough diet and artificial diet, respectively. Moreover, the fecundity rate on pomegranate dough and apple dough diets was significantly lower than artificial diet. Moreover, the longevity of male and female adults was observed on semi- artificial diets more than pomegranate dough. The lowest value of intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of the E. ceratoniae were observed on pomegranate dough (0.031 day-1), and the highest was on artificial diet (0.121 day-1). In addition, the larvae fed on pomegranate dough treatment showed the higher larval, pupal weight and value of relative growth rate (RGR) compared to other diets tested.
Discussion
Artificial diet supported development and reproduction of the carob moth. However, based on the results obtained in the present study, pomegranate dough has high nutritional value in terms of E. ceratoniae performance and also it is very cheap, so it is recommended as a suitable diet for mass rearing of carob moth. However, many complementary studies in this regard are necessary to achieve standard dimensions of mass rearing of E. ceratoniae in insectaries.

Keywords


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