The coconut Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) is one of the most damaging insect to coconut palms in India. The experimental study on the growth response of 3 instar larvae of Oryctes rhinoceros infesting the coconut trees. The LC50/96 hours value for the larvae of Oryctes rhinoceros were 29.5% for neem cake powder, 24.5% for neem oil and 14.9% for distillery effluent respectively. In the ...

Food sources,mineral redistribution, and excreta are someof theways ants enrich their mound environment. Phosphorus excretion has not been reported in red imported Þre ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren. QuantiÞcation of phosphoric acid in worker fecal droplets and larval anal liquid of S. invicta was performed. Phosphoric acid was trimethylsilylated using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trißuoroacetamide, ...

The growth and development of Helicoverpa armigera was observed in the laboratory by feeding them on different foods viz; leaf, flower and fruit of lady finger, cotton, pigeon pea and chick pea. Based on the food ingested, food digested and food excreted as well as on weight and size of the larvae and the duration of larval period, the fruit of chick pea was found to be the most suitable food f...

Body size is one of the most important life history characters of organisms, yet little is known of the physiological mechanisms that regulate either body size or variation in body size. Here, we examined one of these mechanisms, the critical weight, which is defined as the minimal mass at which further growth is not necessary for a normal time course to pupation. The critical weight occurred a...

Many animal species face periods of chronic nutritional stress during which the individuals must continue to develop, grow, and/or reproduce despite low quantity or quality of food. Here, we use experimental evolution to study adaptation to such chronic nutritional stress in six replicate Drosophila melanogaster populations selected for the ability to survive and develop within a limited time o...

a bivoltine silkworm hybrid, ka x nb4d2 was treated with the juvenoid r394 (ethyl-9 cyclohexyl-3,7-dimethyl-2,4-nonadienoate) at a dose of 0.039 nl/larva at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of 5th instar for silk yield improvement. treatment specific significant increase was observed in the cocoon and shell weight with no such marked variation in the shell percentage. notable changes were also seen in trait...

Aqueous extract from leaves of Sambcus ebulus L. were tested for antifeedant, growth regulation and ovicidal effects against the red floor beetle Tribolium confusum Duv. under laboratory condition (29?1?C, RH 60?5% and 12L:12D). The results indicated a significant deterrence for feeding, and comparatively significant larval, pupal and adult weight decrease in treated vs. controlled insects. Sim...

Plant chemical defense against herbivores is a complex process which involves a number of secondary compounds. It is known that the concentration of leaf surface lipophilic compounds (SLCs), particularly those of flavonoid aglycones are increased with the defoliation treatment of silver birch Betula pendula. In this study we investigated how the alteration of SLCs concentration in the food affe...

Pebrinedisease found to be highly virulent and harm the larval and cocoon characters of tropical tasar silkworm Antheraeamylitta Drury (Daba TV).Therefore an attempt has been made to evaluate the effect of 2% bleaching powder solution in controlling the pebrine disease attained through secondary contamination by studying larval and cocoon characters. In comparison with the healthy control (T1 b...