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S. Easwaramoorthy ¹, N. K. Kurup ¹, G. Santhalakshmi ¹, M. Shanmugasundaram ¹

Affiliations
1 Section of Entomology, Sugarcane Breeding Institute Coimbatore 641 007, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Attempts have been made to store the puparia of the tachinid, Sturmiopsis inferens Townsend. a larval parasitoid of sugarcane moth borers at low temperatures. Storage at 5 and 10 °c adversely affected the adult emergence, fertility and longevity when the puparia were stored for 30 days. The puparia could be stored for 30 days at 15°C without any adverse effects on fly emergence, female mating and male longevity. Storage at this temperature slightly reduced tbe fertility of females. An increase in the duration of storage at 15°C resulted in the reduction of emergence, mating and fertility.

Keywords

Cold Storage, Puparia. Sturmiopsis inferens.

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S. Easwaramoorthy ¹, N. K. Kurup ¹, G. Santhalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore 641 007, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

The mean duration of development of Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius) reared on Melanaphis indosacchari David was 11.3±2.4 days. The adults survived for 22.7±9.1 days when fed with aphids. The feeding potential of grubs was 220.2±17.4 aphids in the case of M. indosacchari and 179.6±40.5 aphids in Melanaphis sacchari Zehnt. The adult beetles preyed a mean of 992.8±256.8 M. indosacchari and 1403.3±99.9 M. sacchari, respectively. The feeding potential of grubs increased with age while that of adults decreased with age.

Keywords

Biology, Cheilomenes sexmaculata, Predatory Potential, Sugarcane Aphids.

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S. Easwaramoorthy ¹, J. Srikanth ¹, G. Santhalakshmi ¹, N. K. Kurup ¹

Affiliations
1 Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore 641 007, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Life-history and prey acceptance of commonly occurring spiders of sugarcane ecosystem were studied in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, males and females of Hippasa greenalliae Blackwall passed through eight and nine instars, and the total life cycle lasted 263.3 and 371.6 days, respectively. In the field, females of Cyrtophora cicatrosa Stoliczka passed through nine instars and the total life cycle lasted 195.2 days. In laboratory no choice feeding tests, neonate larvae of shoot (Chilo infuscatellus Snelllen), internode [Chilo sacchariphagus indicus (Kapur)] and pink (Sesamia inferens Walker) borers were the most accepted stage followed by third instar larvae for the spiders H. greenalliae and Oxyopes shweta Tikader. Amongst four sucking pests tested, aphid (Melanaphis indosacchari David), leafhopper (Pyrilla perpusilla Wlk.) and pink mealybug [Saccharicoccus sacchari (Ckll.)] were the most accepted preys while scale insect (Melanaspis glomerata Green) was completely avoided by the above two species of spiders. In field cage studies with H. greenalliae against C. infuscatellus, deadhearts formed by 10 neonate larvae were reduced by around 50 per cent by one spider per cage whereas the same number of third instar larvae needed four to six spiders per cage to reduce deadheart formation.

Keywords

Life History, Prey Acceptance, Spiders, Sugarcane Ecosystem.

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S. Easwaramoorthy ¹, H. David ¹, N. K. Kurup ¹, G. Santhalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Division of Crop Protection, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore - 641 007, IN

Abstract

Surveys conducted in three states of southern peninsular India revealed the occurrence of 57 species of spiders belonging to 13 families of Araneae in the sugarcane ecosystem. Of these, only two species viz., Hippasa greenalliae BlackwaH (Lycosidae) and Cyrtophora cicatrosa Stoliczka (Araneidae) were abundant, while six species were less abundant and 49 species were rare in occurrence. The spiders were found to colonize the sugarcane crop 40·45 days after planting. The population of the wolf spider H.greenalliae which comprised more than 70% of the total population increased with age of the crop upto 180 days. There was no significant variation in the population of H.greenalliae in sugarcane cropped field and adjacent fallow land. The orbweaver spider C.cicatrosa started colonizing the crop 100 days after planting of the crop and its population increased upto 240 days. Population of H.greenalliae and that of all the species had negative association with maximum temperature and rainfall and positive association with relative humidity. A reverse trend was noticed in C.cicatrosa. Soil and foliar application of insecticides recommended for the suppression of shoot borer, Chilo infuscatelius Snellen in the early stage of the crop growth did not exert any significant influence on the colonization of spiders. Among the five insecticides tested as foliar sprays at six month old crop, quinalphos, monocrotophos and endosulfan significantly reduced the spider population.

Keywords

Sugarcane Ecosystem, Spiders, Hippasa greenalliae, Cyrtophora cicatrosa.

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H. David ¹, S. Easwaramoorthy ¹, N. K. Kurup ¹, M. Shanmugasundaram ¹, G. Santhalakshmi ¹

Affiliations
1 Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore 641 007, IN

Abstract

Attempts were made to simplify the culturing technique of the Tachinid parasitold, Sturmiopsis inferens Tns. The results showed that removal of chorion ensheathing the parasltold maggots before inoculation on host larva did not increase the per cent parasitisation significantly and this time consuming step in the breeding technique may be dropped. Modified King's technique in which maggots are suspended in 0.15% agar agar and allowed to find the host larva on their own was as effective as that of hand inoculation of individual host larva with parasitic maggots (Scaramuzza's technique). Both these modifications in the breeding technique enabled mass production of the parasite at reasonabte cost.

Keywords

Sturmiopsis inferens, Mass Culturing.

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