Storage Conditions Conducive for Holding the Egg Parasitiod, Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja

Abstract

Studies on Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja were carried out with the objective of determination of storage conditions conducive for holding the parasitiod. From parasitized eggs of Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), stored after 3-7 days of parasitization for 5 days at 10°C, above 50 per cent adult emergence Occurred and eggs could not be stored for more than 7 days. However, at 15°C, storage could be extended up to 18 days but with low emergence (17.2%), In another experiment, exposure of eggs to 10 and 15°C for 5, 10 and 15 days after 3, 5 and 7 days of parasitization, provided satisfactory adult emergence from eggs stored at 15°C for 5 days after 5 and 7 days of parasitization (72.3 and 72.1%) and for 10 days after 5 days of parasitization (69.8%). Occasionally from the eggs stored for more than 5 days at 15°C after 7 days of parasitization adult emergence occurred in storage. In eggs without adult emergence hole, mortality often occurred in the pupal stage (55.9 and 61.6% after 3 and 5 days of parasitization, respectively), followed by larval (21.3 and 6.6%, respectively) and adult stage (22.8 and 31.7 %, respectively). Thus storage at 15°C for 10 days after 5 days of parasitization will be the right choice.