Food Consumption and Growth Rates with Certain Biological Aspects of Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier Rearing on Sugarcane Stems

M, Batt A.; Batt, M. A.; Ali, Huda R. K.

doi:10.21608/eajbsa.2018.24362

Food Consumption and Growth Rates with Certain Biological Aspects of Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier Rearing on Sugarcane Stems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/eajbsa.2018.24362

Abstract

The rearing of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier on sugarcane stems, as substitutive host, to study each of food consumption, growth rates and some biological aspects, detected that the larvae undergo ten instars from egg hatching until construction of cocoon, the total duration after hatching of these instars reached 66.1days, ranged between 58 to 74 days. The lengths of larvae at 10^th instars were ranged 47 -56mm, with a mean of 52 + 3.03mm. The weight of last larval instar reached 6.61 g (ranged 5.8- 7.4 g).
         Larval growth rate recorded 0.096g/day, adult weevil remains stable through the 1^st four weeks of feeding (mean, 1.244 g) and decreased afterward during the 5^th and 6^th weeks of feeding (mean, 1.128 and 0.956 g, respectively).
        The acquired weight of larvae has differed with the variation in weight of larvae. The percentage of larval weight gain varied from 49.76 (for 2 g / larva) to 7.93% (for 5 g / larva).
         Total weight of food consumption during successive growth periods (55days) recorded 83.18 g / larva. Daily consumption recorded 10.37 g during the feeding period, with a rate of 1.5 g / larva.

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