Comparison of enhanced artificial diets for mass rearing of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) under laboratory conditions

In few decades the insect management has changed its form i.e. natural control, bioassay based, for that a large number of laboratory reared insects are needed. The rising needs of insects also need a good amount of artificial diet, rather than natural host plants. Overcome the problem of mass rearing studies on artificial diets has been done. An ideal artificial diet should be preferred by the insect as well as cost effective. Focusing on the needs of insect mass rearing the present study was conducted to compare the enhanced artificial diets for the mass rearing of Helicoverpa armigera. Six diets were prepared by adding enriched Protein-X and Bio-D3 Max capsules on six different flours viz. chickpea, corn, soybean, rice, groundnut, sago powder and control (tomato pulp). The larval duration of H. armigera was observed minimum in soybean flour mediated diet i.e. 13.5 days and maximum in Sago powder mediated diet i.e. 20.3 days, subsequently per cent larval mortality was minimum in the soybean flour mediated diet 2.1 % and maximum in Sago powder mediated diet 20%. However, maximum % pupal recovery and adult emergence was observed in soybean based artificial diet which exhibited 92.6% and 90.5% respectively.