1Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna -485 780, Madhya Pradesh, India
2Agricultural Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Kovilpatti- 628 501, Tamil Nadu
3Krishi Vigyan Kendra-IInd, Sitapur - 221 145, Uttar Pradesh
*Corresponding author's present address: Division of Crop Protection, Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Rehmankhera, P.O. Kakori, Lucknow- 226 101, Uttar Pradesh; E-mail: savitavarma45@rediffmail.com
Online published on 21 November, 2013.
The result revealed that a single female of Coccinella septumpunctata L. laid 135 -321 eggs during the life span. The eggs were hatched into grub within 4.3 ± 1.34 days. The total grub duration was 14.7 ± 2.45 days. The pupal period lasted to 8.3 ± 0.82 days. The adult longevity of male and female was 28.8 ± 4.92, 34.5 ± 5.25 days, and the pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods were 2.4 ± 0.5 days, 26.6 ± 6.84 and 4.0 ± 1.41 days, respectively. The predation potential of C. septumpunctata was also observed on the aphid, Aphis gossypii. The first to fourth instar grubs were found to consume 37.95 ± 8.20, 39.7 ± 15.57, 94.10 ± 17.27 and 262.2 ± 88.83 aphids, respectively during their developmental period. The adult male and female beetles of C. septumpuctata were found to consume 1490 ± 303.4 and 1880 ± 295.9 aphids during their life span.
Coccinella septumpuctata, Aphis gossypii, biology, predatory efficiency
