Best conditions for rearing Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke)

Author of the article:CHI Jia-Jia1** ZHU Wen-Jun1 LIU Jin2 CHEN Peng1 LIU Jun-Zhan3 LIU Yong-Jie1***

Author's Workplace：1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory for Biology of Vegetable Disease and Insect Pests, College of Plant Protection, Shandong AgriculturalUniversity, Tai’an 271018, China; 2. College of Landscape Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural Engineering College, Jinan 250100, China; 3. Academy of Binzhou Agricultural Sciences, Binzhou 256601, China

Key Words： [Objectives] To identify the best conditions for raising Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke), one of the main pests of soybean crops, in captivity. [Methods] The effects of different enclosures on the growth and development of larvae, the effects of different sex ratios on fecundity, and the influen

Abstract： [Objectives]  To identify the best conditions for raising Etiella zinckenella (Treitschke), one of the main pests of soybean crops, in captivity. [Methods]  The effects of different enclosures on the growth and development of larvae, the effects of different sex ratios on fecundity, and the influence of different oviposition substrates on oviposition, were measured and compared. [Results]  Insects kept in 30 mL plastic measuring cups had a higher survival rate than those kept in flat-bottomed tubes or 12-well culture plates. The survival rate of five instars was higher than 93%. There were no significant differences in the duration of the larval period among the three different enclosure types. Sex ratio did not significantly affect adult longevity or egg hatching rate but the highest fecundity was achieved at a female to male sex ratio of 1︰2. The effect of different oviposition sites on the longevity of adults was not significant; the longevity of males and females was about 14 and 11 days, respectively. Adult females only laid eggs on fresh pods and not on any of the other substrates tested. [Conclusion] Raising larvae in 30 mL plastic measuring cups, maintaining a female to male sex ratio of 1︰2 and providing fresh pods for oviposition improved the survival rate and fecundity of E. zinckenella.