Rearing the Maize Weevil Sitophilus zeamais on an Artificial Maize—Cassava Diet

摘要

Dry artificial diet pellets prepared with maize, cassava chips, and amino acid supplements (lysine and methionine) were evaluated for mass culture of Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a highly polyphagous pest of many stored grains. Evaluation was done in the laboratory at temperature 26 ± 2 °C, 60–70% RH, 12:12 L:D photoperiod. The artificial diet was compounded from different proportions of maize (M) variety TZPB-SW-R, cassava (C) variety TMS-2110, and amino acid supplements, and was pelletized into 6 mm diameter pellets on which five pairs of one—day—old S. zeamais were bioassayed. The diet M9C1 (90% M and 10% C) was the most suitable diet with comparatively shorter developmental period (34.8 days) and the highest F1 emergence of progeny (145.4) compared to the control, M10C0 (100% M and 0% C).