Journal of Entomology1812-56701812-5689Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/je.2011.174.182Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)]]>SujathaS. JosephBaby 2201182This research mainly focused the objective is to study the effect of tapioca based oligidic diet and its effect on growth and reproductive parameters in tobacco caterpillar larvae of Spodoptera litura (Fabricious). These results indicated an artificial diet for mass rearing of the tobacco caterpillar Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) from the neonate to adult stage was developed at 27±1°C, 65±5% RH and 16:8 h scoto/photo-phase regime. The impact of a tapioca-based artificial diet on the developmental rate, life history parameters and fertility was examined over five consecutive generations for the Spodoptera litura armyworm Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a highly polyphagous pest of many agricultural crops. The study showed that when fed the tapioca-based artificial diet during larval stage, larval and pupal developmental period, percentage of pupation, pupal weight, emergence rate of male and female, longevity, fecundity and hatching were non-significantly different than that of the control agar-based artificial diet. Moreover, the cost to rear on tapioca-based diet approached 2.13 times less than the cost of rearing on the agar-based artificial diet. The mean biological parameters based on rearing of ten continuous generations showed higher pupation (67.0±3.2), emergence (77.0±5.6) and fecundity (234.2±50.1 eggs) as compared to the most preferred natural food, castor leaf whose respective recorded values are 80, 75, 60% and 480 eggs. The artificial diet developed is suitable for mass rearing S. litura successfully throughout the year for laboratory and field experimentation as well as for commercial production of nuclear polyhedrosis viruses.]]>Abbasi, B., K. Ahmed, F. Khalique, N. Ayub, H. Liu, S.Kazmi and M. Aftab20072007Ahmad, S.A. and T.L. Hopkins,1992Manduca Sexta (L.): Properties and tissue location.]]>21207224Ahmed, K., F. Khalique and B.A. Malik,1998Helicoverpa (Heliothis) Armigera (Hubn).]]>1183187Rakotoarivelo, A.A., M. Ralisata, O.R. Ravoahangimalala, M.R. Rakotomalala, P.A. Racey and R.K.B. Jenkins,2009Hipposideros commersoni (E. Geoffroy, 1813).]]>47283288Bellows, T.S., R.G. van Driesche and J.S. Elkinton,199237587612Portilla, B.C.A., M. Abel, C.A. Winteris, H. Ford and R. Street,2004Heliothis virescens.]]>95959Brunner, J.F. and L. Lampson,1997Vol. 2.Burton, R.L. and W.D. Perkins,197265385386Castane, C. and R. Zapata,2005Macrolophus caliginosus on a meat based diet.]]>346672Cohen, A.C.,200147198206Cohen, A.C.,2003pp: 429pp: 429Coudron, T.A., J. Wittmeyer and Y. Kim,2002Podisus maculiventris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on a Zoophytophagous artificial diet.]]>9511591168Dang, K., M. Anand and M.G. Jotwari,1970lo zonellus).]]>32130133Dhir, B.C., H.K. Mohapatra and B. Senapati,1992Spodoptera litura (F).]]>20215217Ehric, R.,200954325339Feng, H.Q., K.M. Wu,, Y.X. Ni,, D.E. Cheng and Y.Y. Guo,2005Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in mid summer in Northern China.]]>18335349Gebre, E. and B.N. Sathyanarayana,2001in vitro shoot regeneration and microtuber production from nodal cultures of potato.]]>918Greenberg, S.M.,T.W. Sappington, B.C. Legaspi, T.X. Liu and M. Setamou,2001Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on different host plants.]]>94566575Hansen, D.L., H.F. Brodsgaard and A. Enkegaard,1999Macrolophus caliginosus preying upo Tetra urticae.]]>9269275Howell, J.F.,1972655759Racioppi, J.V., R.L. Burton and E. Raymond,2004Hippodamia convergens.]]>306872John, D.R.M., R. Guadalupe, A. Juan and R. Morales,2003Thanasimus dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae), a predator of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae).]]>27315322Merkx-Jacques, M. and J.C. Bede,2005Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae).]]>54848Malarvannan, S., R. Giridharan, S. Sekar, V.R. Prabhavathi and S. Nair,2008Argemia mexicana against Tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae).]]>15562McKinley, D.J.,2004Lepidoptera.]]>17421424Devanand, P. and P.U. Rani,2008Ricinus communis.]]>1170176Robert, S.C., L. Quentin and R.A. Wharton,2009981166Rao, G.V.R., J.A. Wightman and D.V.R. Rao,1993Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae).]]>14273284Summerford, D.V.,2004Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuiidae) larvae on artificial diet and cotton leaves containing the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin heritable variation to tolerant cryac.]]>2004Nene, Y.L., V.K. Shiela and J.P. Moss,199670493494Yves, A. and D.C. Patrick,2004Orius laevigatus.]]>49505516