Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu (India).
The ovipositional behaviour of mirid bug, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Reuter) was investigated in the laboratory. No influence of plant age on fecundity and egg hatchability was evident when 15, 30, 45 and 60-day old paddy leaf bits were provided as ovipositional substratum. Availability of food determined the number of eggs laid. The fecundity was drastically reduced from 67.1 eggs/5 females provided with food to 20.7 eggs/5 females when no food was supplied. The ovipositional preference of the mirid bug was high on rice, Oryza sativa L., (63.1 eggs/5 females) followed by Oryza punctata L. (55.6 eggs/5 females) and Oryza officinalis L. (53.9 eggs/5 females), and weeds, viz., Cyperus rotundus L. and Digitaria sanguinalis Scop. When weeds were offered singly, the mirid laid 9.7, 34.7, 43.2 and 44.7 eggs/5 females on Perotis sp., Echinocloa crusgalli Bear., Digitaria arvensis, and C. rotundus, respectively. The mirid did not Lay eggs on Cynodon dactylon Pers., Cenchrus ciliaris., Dactyloctenium aegyptium Bear., and Chloris barbata Sw.
