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Pomegranate fruit moth (PFM), Apomyelois ceratoniae Zeller is a major pest of pomegranate in Iran. In this study, the effect of four diets including pistachio, pomegranate, semi-artificial and artificial diets were studied on biological parameters of PFM in a growth chamber under controlled conditions at 30 ± 2 °C, 65 ± 5% RH and 16:8 (L: D) h. The results demonstrated that the longest incubation period, larval developmental time and preimaginal development time was observed on artificial diet and the shortest was on the pomegranate. The highest and lowest body length of fifth instar larvae were observed on pistachio and artificial diet, respectively. The heaviest weight of third day pupae was recorded for the larvae that were reared on pistachio (0.0275 ± 0.0004 g) while the lightest was on artificial diet (0.0216 ± 0.0004 g). In the next experiment, the effect of four diets was considered to assess the efficiency of pheromone traps in a twenty year old pomegranate orchard cultivated with Malasse Yazdi cultivars. The effect of food on catch of traps showed a significant difference. The virgin PFM that were fed with pomegranate attracted more males. Also the traps caught the males mostly from 11:00 pm until 4:00 am, with the peak time between 23:00 and midnight. No significant difference was seen between diet and time of catch, indicating that starting or ending time and the maximum time of catch was not affected by the diets.  

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The larval nutrition of the grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, is determinant for its fitness; the amount and quality of the food ingested by larvae strongly influence the insect growth and reproduction. Utilizing appropriate artificial diets is a critical step in establishing a laboratory rearing colony. Generally, two types of diets are used in grapevine moth lab rearing, diets that stay moist and soft (agar-based diets) and those that dry out and harden with time (non-agar-based diets). Agar-based diets are satisfactory for producing small quantities of insects in small food containers, but with large containers, difficulties may occur. The relatively high cost of agar is another reason that stimulated the search for less expensive binders. To the contrary, non-agar based diets are generally used when large numbers of insects are required and where cost becomes a critical factor. In addition, many general-purpose diets (with or without agar) are used for rearing this insect. The selection of a particular diet, however, is a personal decision that should be based on the quality of the produced insects and the diet suitability for the rearing purpose. This paper discusses the artificial diets used by researchers for Lobesia botrana laboratory rearing.

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The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), is a destructive pest feeding on a diverse array of host plants. We studied the demographic parameters of H. armigera on artificial diets prepared from seeds of 10 corn Zea mays L. hybrids (KSC301, KSC403, KSC540, KSC600, KSC604, KSC704, KSC711, Maxima, NS770, and ZP677) using the age-stage, two-sex life table procedure. The results revealed that except for the incubation period, the Z. mays hybrids-mediated artificial diets significantly affected the length of the other immature stages. They also influenced the adult longevity, adult pre-oviposition period (APOP), total pre-oviposition period (TPOP), and oviposition days of H. armigera. Furthermore, the total fecundity of H. armigera was affected by Z. mays hybrids. Accordingly, the females reared on KSC711 with 503.31 eggs had the highest total fecundity. The highest net reproductive rate (R₀) (88.41 eggs/individual), the intrinsic rate of increase (r) (0.109 day^-1), and finite rate of increase (λ) (1.115 day^-1) were observed on KSC711. Our results provided valuable information regarding the life cycle of H. armigera on an artificial diet substrate prepared from different Z. mays hybrids. It was also revealed that although H. armigera had no significant differences in life table parameters on most hybrids, some of them, such as KSC711, were very susceptible to damage. One of the issues that emerged from these findings is the possibility of using some hybrids, e.g., KSC711, in the preparation of semi-artificial diets for this pest.

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Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a cosmopolitan polyphagous pest. Researchers need a simple mass rearing procedure to study the life history, behavior, and feeding habits of insects. In the present study, effects of container type (Petri dishes or transparent cubic-containers), the form of positioning the containers (overturned or upright), and diet type (artificial diet or natural diet, i.e., chickpea plants) on the development and survival of neonate of H. armigera were assessed. Additionally, effects of container type and ventilation (air circulation in rearing containers) on development and survival of second to sixth instars, percentage of pupation, and adult emergence were assessed. Container type had no significant effect on the development and survival of the neonates and subsequent instars. More neonates survived to the second instar when reared in the containers held overturned, compared to those held upright. The neonates reared on chickpea plants had a shorter larval development and a higher survival rate than those reared on an artificial diet. The percentage of pupation and adult emergence of second instars reared individually in ventilated containers was higher than that of those reared in unventilated containers. As a food source for neonates, chickpea plants could improve the mass rearing of H. armigera.

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The European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), as a worldwide corn pest, causes serious damages. In the present study, some biological aspects of O. nubilalis were investigated on three different host plants including corn stalks, potato, and soybean stems, and a specific semi-artificial diet. Once appropriate host was selected, developmental rates of eggs, larval and pupal stages as well as moth emergence, longevity, and female fecundity were determined at four constant temperatures (20, 24, 28, and 32±1°C). The relationship between temperature and developmental rate was estimated with two linear models under laboratory condition (70-80% RH and a photoperiod of 16L:8D hour). Results showed significant differences between studied foods, such that corn stalk sections and semi-artificial diet were appropriate host for O. nubilalis compared to the other two hosts. It was also revealed that optimum temperature for growth of this pest was 28°C. Lower developmental threshold estimated by traditional and Ikemoto-Takai linear models for whole immature stages were about 9 and 10°C, and thermal constants were 473 and 431 degree day (DD), respectively. Compared to previous studies, these values were similar in the immature stages, except for the larval stage, which could indicate the importance of nutrition and role of the plant host in temperature requirements.