Study on the effect of natural and artificial diets on pupal stage of stem borers, Sesamia cretica Lederer and Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre in comparison with wild population

Subject Areas : entomology and othea arthropods

L. Sedighi ¹ , H. Ranjbar Aghdam ² , S. Imani ³ , M. Shojaei ⁴

1 - Department of Agricultural Entomology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
2 - Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Agricultural Entomology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
4 - Department of Agricultural Entomology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2015-09-12 Accepted : 2016-02-21 Published : 2016-05-21

Keywords:

Abstract :

Considering damage of stem borers, Sesamiacreticaand Sesamianonagrioidesin maize and sugarcane fields, specialists focused on application of biological control methods using specific egg parasitoid wasp, Telenomusbusseolaeand mass rearing of the mentioned stem borers as specific hosts of the egg parasitoids. In this research, the effect of natural and artificial diets on pupal weight and pupal period of the stem borers were studied in comparison with wild population collected from sugarcane fields. Results showed that male and female pupal weight was significantly affected by diet types at 1% probability level. Regarding male pupal weight of S. cretica, the highest values were 0.158 g in artificial diet and the least pupal weight was 0.141g in wild population. The highest values of mean female pupal weight were 0.221 and 0.226g on artificial diet and maize stems, respectively. The least values of mean pupal weight of S. cretica were 0.182 and 0.183g in sugarcane stems and wild population, respectively. On the other hand, the highest weight of male pupae of S. nonagrioideswas 0.181g in maize and the least weightswere 0.136 and 0.143g in artificial diet and wild population, respectively. The highest of female pupae weight of this species was 0.243g in maize and the least weight was 0.176g in artificial diet.  Pupal period of the studied species was also significantly affected by evaluated diets at 1% probability level. The values of pupal period for males of S. cretica were 11.93, 10.31, and 10.78 days on artificial diet, maize and sugarcane, respectively. The values of pupal period for female individuals were 11.96, 10.18, and 10.24 days on the same diets, respectively. The values of pupal period for males of S. nonagrioideswere 10.44, 11.91, and 11.35 days on artificial diet, maize and sugarcane, respectively. The values of pupal period for females of this species were 10.40, 12.19, and 11.12 days on the mentioned diets, respectively.in brief, the artificial diet used in this study was more appropriate on S.cretica than S.nonagriordes.