Effect of some diets on demographic parameters of Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in vitro

Abstract

The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a cosmopolitan species widely distributed in different habitats worldwide. This moth is a well known pest of many fruits as well as dried fruits in storage. In this study, the biological parameters of the carob moth were studied in a growth chamber under controlled conditions (30±2°C, 65±5% and 16L : 8D). The studied moths were on four diets including pistachio, and pomegranate (both are referred to as the natural diets), and semi-synthetic, and synthetic food. The results demonstrated that survival rate of the carob moth on the two natural diets was higher than the survival rate of the carob moth on the semi-synthetic, and synthetic diets (also referred to as the artificial diets). The highest and lowest amount of life expectancy (ex) were obtained for moths on the pistachio diet (38.82), and the pomegranate diet (29.32), respectively. The highest age-stage specific reproductive value (vxj) was observed for moths on the pistachio diet (181.1). The intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were calculated to be highest when the pomegranate diet was used (0.091 and 1.096) and lowest when the synthetic diet was used (0.06) and (1.062). The highest amounts of net reproductive rate and mean fecundity were obtained for moths fed the pistachio diet and the lowest were for moths fed the synthetic diet. Our results also showed that the mean generation times were 48.32, 44.42, 37.19, and 42 days for moths fed synthetic food, pistachio, pomegranate, and semi-synthetic food, respectively. The outcome of this research can be used to effectively select the most useful rearing of carob moths for using them in natural pheromone traps as Integrated Pest Management programs.

Relationship Between Performance of Carob Moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Phytochemical Metabolites in Various Pomegranate Cultivars

“…Normally, higher r m is related to shorter developmental time, lower mortality, and greater fecundity, which is true for E. ceratoniae reared on Shahvare-Danesefid. The range of r m values of E. ceratoniae on various pomegranate cultivars tested in the present study was smaller than that reported by Norouzi et al (2008), Zare et al (2013), and Mortazavi et al (2015). Such discrepancy might be attributable to either genetic differences in pest populations or variations in the experimental conditions and cultivars used for feeding of this pest.…”

Primary and secondary plant metabolites determining the suitability of pistachio kernels for the carob moth

“…45% lipids by dry weight (Dreher, 2012) -Iranian cultivars typically ranging from 47.7 to 63.3% by dry weight (Agar et al, 1998) -so variation in their quantity and quality among cultivars could affect their relative suitability. If high lipid content relative to other primary metabolites creates some nutritional imbalance for larvae, it may account for the generally superior performance of the moth on pistachio versus other host fruits such as pomegranate (e.g., Mortazavi et al, 2015;Norouzi et al, 2008). Interestingly, The two cultivars yielding the lowest relative growth rate, developmental rate, longevity and fecundity (1 and 9) were also ingested less than other cultivars, had the lowest carbohydrate content, ranked highest in phenolic, tannin and flavonoid content and lowest in efficiency of food conversion by moth larvae.…”

“…Herbivorous insects require various plant metabolites (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins) as essential nutrients (Underwood & Rausher, 2000; Zaynab et al, 2018), whereas various plant secondary compounds may negatively affect their fitness (War et al, 2012). Although pistachio is considered one of the most suitable hosts for E. ceratoniae (Mortazavi et al, 2015; Norouzi et al, 2008), cultivars are known to vary in suitability. For example, Teimori et al (2015) showed that E. ceratoniae had lower reproductive success on cv Akbari relative to cv Kaleghouchi, possibly due to lower levels of secondary compounds in the latter.…”

“…Although pistachio is considered one of the most suitable hosts for E. ceratoniae (Mortazavi et al, 2015;Norouzi et al, 2008), cultivars are known to vary in suitability. For example, Teimori et al (2015) showed that E. ceratoniae had lower reproductive success on cv Akbari relative to cv Kaleghouchi, possibly due to lower levels of secondary compounds in the latter.…”