An artificial diet for mass multiplication of the gherkin fruit borer, Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

This paper presents a method developed to rear the gherkin fruit borer Diaphania indica (Saunders) on an artificial diet. The diet has essentially the same ingredients as required for rearing Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) but for the addition of shade dried, powdered tender gherkin leaves and fruits to the diet. Diaphania indica was reared for 3 successive generations on this artificial diet and compared to its natural host, gherkin leaves. Except for the duration of life cycle (egg to adult) other biological parameters such as fecundity, larval mortality, pupal weight, adult longevity were not significantly different when reared on natural host and artificial diet. There was no significant difference in per cent survival of insects reared (mean of three generations) on gherkin leaves (72.6%) and artificial diet (62.0%).