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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #88209
Title: INFLUENCE ON QUALITY RELATED CHARACTERISTICS OF REARING TRICHOGRAMMA SPP. IN HOSTS OF DIFFERENT SIZE OR ON AN ARTIFICIAL DIET

Author
item Nordlund, Donald
item GREENBERG, S - TEXAS AGRIC. EXP. STATION
item WU, Z - MS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: International Symposium on Quality Control of Mass Reared Anthropods
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/26/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The quality of Trichogramma spp., in terms of effective performance in the field, is dependent on many factors including fecundity, longevity, and ability to locate and oviposit in the target host. Increased longevity and fecundity are influenced by the size of the adult female. With recent advances in the development of in vitro rearing techniques for these important parasitoids, there is a need to increase our understanding of quality, indicators of quality, and those rearing factors that contribute to improved quality. We found that the size of the host influences the size (body length) for Trichogramma pretiosum and T. minutum females and that body length in these species influenced the number of eggs produced by a Trichogramma female. We also found that the size of the rearing host can influence the percentage of stretched plastic artificial eggs that the females will oviposit in. T. minutum females reared on an artificial diet in wax artificial eggs were equal in size to females reared in Manduca sexta eggs, oviposited in a greater percentage of stretched plastic artificial eggs and deposited more eggs per oviposition arena than did those reared in Helicoverpa zea or Sitotroga cerealella eggs.