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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #293182
Title: Artificial diet development for entomophagous arthropods

Author
item Morales Ramos, Juan
item Rojas, Maria - Guadalupe
item Coudron, Thomas

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/3/2013
Publication Date: 11/21/2013
Citation: Artificial diet development for entomophagous arthropods. In: Morales-Ramos, J.A., Rojas, M.G, Shapiro-Ilan, D.I. editors. Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. p. 203-240.

Interpretive Summary: Artificial diets promised an economical way to mass produce beneficial arthropods for control of agricultural pests. Many decades later this promise has not been fulfilled and most of the commercial mass production of predatory and parasitic arthropods is being done on their natural host or prey. Although many successful artificial diets have been published, these diet formulations have not been developed to the level of commercial use. In some cases the resulting arthropods are of poor quality. In other cases the diet formulations are expensive to produce and not commercially viable. Alternatively, the methods to produce arthropods in-vitro are complicated and require too much labor for commercial application. In this chapter we propose that most of the published artificial diets have not been fully developed to their potential and represent a continuous work in progress. A proposed pathway for moving artificial diet development to commercial application is presented in this chapter; the pathway consists of 6 levels of advancement based on the magnitude of capabilities to produce arthropods. This chapter makes evident that the process of artificial diet development is a multidisciplinary enterprise which requires time, effort, and commitment and will benefit from industry and government support.

Technical Abstract: Artificial diets promised an economical way to mass produce entomophagous arthropods for augmentative biological control. Many decades later this promise has not been fulfilled and most of the commercial mass production of entomophagous arthropods is being done in-vivo. Although many successful artificial diets have been published, these diet formulations have not been developed to the level of commercial use. In some cases the resulting arthropods are of poor quality. In other cases the diet formulations are expensive to produce and not commercially viable. Alternatively, the methods to produce arthropods in-vitro are complicated and require too much labor for commercial application. In this chapter we propose that most of the published artificial diets have not been fully developed to their potential and represent a continuous work in progress. A proposed pathway for moving artificial diet development to commercial application is presented in this chapter; the pathway consists of 6 levels of advancement based on the magnitude of capabilities to produce arthropods. This chapter makes evident that the process of artificial diet development is a multidisciplinary enterprise which requires time, effort, and commitment and will benefit from industry and government support.