Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
Akshay S Shinde, Harish R Sawai, Pragati R Jawake, NP Kokode and Swati P Shinde

Abstract:
Investigations were carried out to increase the production of Corcyra cephalonica egg for mass rearing of different bio control agents. Seven treatments of different egg dosages inoculated at 0.10 cc (2000 eggs), 0.125 cc (2500 eggs), 0.15 cc (3000 eggs), 0.20 cc (4000 eggs), 0.25 cc (5000 eggs), 0.50 cc (10000 eggs), 0.60 cc (12000) eggs) per basket containing 2.5 kg milled sorghum were studied to find out number of adult emergence and egg production by them. Result revealed that maximum moth emergence 2211 per basket was recorded in the baskets inoculated with egg dosage of 0.15 cc (3000 eggs) followed by 0.125 (2500 eggs), 0.20(4000 eggs), 0.25 (5000 eggs), 0.50 (10,000eggs), 0.60 cc (12,000 eggs) were 1834, 1577, 1506, 1469 and 1341 moths emerged per basket respectively. Whereas minimum moth 1152 emerged in the basket inoculated with egg dosage of 0.10cc (2000 eggs). Insect fitness, behaviour, survival, fecundity, and metabolism can all be strongly impacted by the quality of the diet and competition for food supplies. High density population and dietary stress during the larval growth stage, in particular, may cause numerous morphological and physiological changes that affect adult characteristics, lengthen the larval period, reduce fecundity, pupal weight, and body mass of the insect, and cause fewer moths to emerge in baskets with more eggs. So as per investigation initial inoculating dose for the mass production of C. cephalonica should be 0.15 cc (3000 eggs) per basket. The amount of eggs laid by female C. cephalonica was much more than the initial dosage of 0.15 cc (3000 eggs) per basket 15.08 cc eggs per basket. In baskets with 0.10 cc (2000 eggs), where 7.29 cc of eggs per basket were reported, there was notably less egg production.