Effect of host diet on life table statistics of Bracon hebtor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of different host diets on the life table statistics of Bracon hebetor Say, a gregarious ectoparasitoid. The progeny sex ratio was female biased when host diet was maize or wheat. The net fecundity rate (R₀???) and total fecundity rate (R₁) were highest on host diet wheat followed by maize, jowar and rice. The innate capacity for increase in number (r_r), the intrinsic rate of increase (r_m), the finite rate of increase (λ_m) and weekly multiplication rate (r_w) were highest on host diet wheat followed by maize, jowar and rice. The doubling time (DT) was shorter on wheat than maize, jowar and rice showing an inverse ratio to r_m and r_w. On the basis of life table statistics of B, hebetor, the diets of its host Corcyra cephalouica can be placed in order of their suitability for parasitoid population growth as; wheat > maize > jowar > rice.