Compounding artificial diets for rearing of the pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens Walker

Two pulses, viz, green gram, Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek (mung); kidney bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (red rajmah) and two cereals, viz, Basi local maize, Zea mays L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L. along with tender parts of host plants, viz, maize, wheat and rice (Orym sativa L.) were used in various permutation and combinations in compounding six diwerent artificial diets for mass rearing of the pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens Walker in the laboratory. On the basis of important biological parameters, the performance of six artificial diets revealed that an artificial diet involving green gram grain powder + maize grain powder + maize leaf, whorl and tender stem powder as components of base-ingredient was most suitable for rearing S. inferens. This newly evolved diet has a distinct edge over the standard diet based on green gram + wheat grain + maize leaf, whorl and tender stem powder in respect of significantly more insects (an increase of 25.27 per cent) completing development up to adult (moth) stage coupled with better sex-ratio.