Skip to main content
Log in

A Cowpea Artificial Diet for Noctuid Larvae

  • Published:
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A low cost artificial diet was formulated from materials which are locally available in Africa. The diet utilized cowpea, sorghum and corn instead of pinto bean and wheat which are widely used in the USA. The new diet was as satisfactory as the pinto bean diet for all the biological criteria tested. On a pinto bean diet, pupation and eclosion required 14.3 ± 1 and 26.3 ± 1 days, respectively. On the cowpea diet, 14.6 1 and 26.9 1 days were required, respectively. Ninety-eight per cent of adults eclosing on each diet were viable. Females eclosing on the cowpea diet laid 739 ± 53 eggs of which 59 2% hatched. On the pinto bean diet, 774 62 eggs were laid per female with 61 2% hatching. Pupal weights were 526 22 and 537 ± 28 mg when larvae were reared on the pinto bean and cowpea diets, respectively. Food consumption and utilization by larvae reared on the new diet were comparable with those of larvae reared on the popular pinto bean diet.

Résumé

Un régime artificiel et bon marché a été constitué à l’aide de produits localement disponibles en Afrique. Ce régime contenait du sorgho, du maïd et une variété de niébé (Vigna sinensis), au lieu du haricot commun (Phaseolus vulgaris) habituellement utilisé aux Etas-Unis d’Amérique. Cette nouvelle ration s’est révélée aussi satisfaisant que le régime à base de haricot commun pour tous les critéres biologiques testés. Avec la ration à base de haricot commun la formation de nymphes et l’éclosion ont requis respectivement 14,3 1 et 26,3 ± 1 jours. Avec la ration à base de niébé, la formation de nymphes et l’eclosion ont requis respectivement 14,6 1 et 26,9 1 jours. Quatrevingt-dix-huit pour cent des adultes éclos sur chaque ration étaient viables. Les femelles écloses sur la ration à base de niébe ont pondu 73,9 ± 53 oeufs, dont 59 2% ont eclos. Quant à la ration à base de haricot commun, 774 ± 62 oeufs ont été pondus par femelle, avec un taux d’éclosion de 61 ± 2%. Le poids des pupes était de 526 ± 22 et 537 ± 28 mg pour des larves élevées avec le haricot commun et le niébé, respectivement. La consommation et l’utilisation des aliments par les larves étaient comparable pour les deux aliments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chapman R. F. (1982) Nutrition. In Insect Structure and Function. Harvard University Press, Boston, pp. 84–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen A. C. and Patana R. (1984) Efficiency of food utilization by Heliothis zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fed artificial diets or green beans. Can. Ent. 116, 139–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson J. J. and Federici B. A. (1982) Artificial diet rearing procedures for the omnivorous loopers. J. econ. Ent. 75, 295–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keaster A. J. and Harrendorf K. (1965) Laboratory rearing of the southwestern corn borer, Zeadiatrea grandiosella, on a wheat germ media. J. econ. Ent. 58, 923–924.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis L. C. and Lynch R. E. (1969) Rearing the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), on diets contain¬ing corn leaf and wheat germ. Iowa State J. Sci. 44, 9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins W. D., Jones R. L., Sparks A. N., Wiseman B. R., Snow J. W. and McMillan W. W. (1973) Artificial diets for mass rearing the corn earworm (Heliothis zea). USDA Prod. Res. Rep. 154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scriber J. M. and Slansky F. (1981) The nutritional ecology of immature insects. A. Rev. Ent. 26, 183–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shorey H. H. and Hale R. L. (1965) Mass rearing of the larvae of nine noctuid species on a simple artificial medium. J. econ. Ent. 58, 522–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldbauer G. P. (1964) The consumption, digestion and utilization of solanaceous and non-solanaceous plants by larvae of the tobacco hornworm, Protoparce sexta (Johan.) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Ent. Exp. & Appl. 7, 253–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldbauer G. P. (1968) The consumption and utilization of food by insects. Adv. Insect. Physiol. 5, 229–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Adeyeye, O.A., Blum, M.S. A Cowpea Artificial Diet for Noctuid Larvae. Int J Trop Insect Sci 9, 609–611 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400005087

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400005087

Key Words

Mots Cléfs

Navigation