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Mass Production of Trichogrammatid Parasitoids

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Biological Control of Insect Pests Using Egg Parasitoids

Abstract

The members of Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are amongst the minutest parasitoids; all of them are parasitic on the eggs of mostly lepidopterans. Most prominent ones are the species of Trichogramma and Trichogrammatoidea which are mostly amenable for laboratory mass production on factitious hosts like rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica Stn.), paddy moth (Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier)), and the flour moth (Ephestia spp.) which themselves are mass produced on factory scales and are being used for biological control of noxious lepidopterous pests of crops worldwide. The parasitoid selected for mass production must usually have high intrinsic rate of natural increase with short life cycle. Problems encountered in mass production of hosts are the larval and pupal parasitoids and predators getting into the cultures, taking heavy toll of the host individuals. This chapter describes the protocols followed for production of host insects and trichogrammatids in India and in other countries like China and Russia. Information is also provided on how problems like development of lab ecotypes, contamination and superparasitism could be alleviated.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A species under the name “T. evanescens Westwood” was imported into India from Europe by Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control, Indian Station, (CIBC-IS) Bangalore, during late 1960s for biosystematic investigations under PL-480 project. This species is now found to be different. A paper on this is being published.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Insect Systematics, National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects (ICAR), 2491, H.A. Farm Post, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560 024, Karnataka, India

    H. Nagaraja

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  1. H. Nagaraja
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Correspondence to H. Nagaraja .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Entomology, Sun Agro Biotech Research Centre, Madanandapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    S. Sithanantham

  2. Agricutlural Entomology, National Bureau of Agriculturally Imp. Insects, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    Chandish R. Ballal

  3. Agricultural Entomology, National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    S.K. Jalali

  4. Agricultural Entomology, National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    N Bakthavatsalam

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Nagaraja, H. (2013). Mass Production of Trichogrammatid Parasitoids. In: Sithanantham, S., Ballal, C., Jalali, S., Bakthavatsalam, N. (eds) Biological Control of Insect Pests Using Egg Parasitoids. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1181-5_8

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