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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #258467
Title: Effect of modification of the NI artificial diet on the biological fitness parameters of mass reared Western Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus hesperus

Author
item Portilla, Maribel
item Snodgrass, Gordon
item STREETT, DOUG - Forest Service (FS)

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2011
Publication Date: 11/8/2011
Citation: Portilla, M., Snodgrass, G.L., Streett, D. 2011. Effect of modification of the NI artificial diet on the biological fitness parameters of mass reared Western Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus hesperus. Journal of Insect Science. 11:149. doi:10.1673/031.011.14901.

Interpretive Summary: Mass rearing of plant bugs on the NI artificial diet has been the diet of choice for many years. However, NI diet preparation is rather laborious making this diet problematic. This study shows how several diet modifications reduced the labor required for diet preparation and at the same time showed higher fertility, hatch rate and survival. As a result of the information from this study, many plant bug rearing programs can be improved by the use of this modified diet.

Technical Abstract: The NI artificial diet is the only known successful diet for mass rearing Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae). This diet has been used for more than a decade; however, the use of cooked chicken egg and laborious preparation (carnivorous diet) make this diet difficult to use. Three modifications (D1, D2 and D3) of the NI diet were investigated, with the goals of developing an easily prepared diet which avoided the carnivorous diet and improved mass fitness parameters of L. hesperus. The modified D3 diet (autoclaved chicken egg yolk based component) had the highest egg/cage/day production (13120 ± 812 SE). This was significantly greater that diets D1 (9027 ± 811 SE) (autoclaved dry chicken egg yolk based component), D2 (8311 ± 628 SE) (autoclaved chicken egg white based component), and the NI diet (7890 ± 761 SE) (autoclaved chicken egg yolk + carnivorous diet). Significant differences were observed in the weights of all developmental stages except for eggs and first instar nymphs. Higher rates of fertility, hatchability and low mortality in nymphs during the first instar were also obtained in the modified D3 diet. The results clearly indicated that the D3 diet provided an opportunity to significantly reduce rearing cost by avoiding time consuming and problematic diet preparation (cooked carnivorous diet). This should result in an increase in production capacity and reduced production costs.