Effects of Cold Storage on Efficiency of Egg Parasitoid, <I> Trichogramma confusum </I> Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), in Controlling Sugarcane Stem Borers

Abstract

Egg parasitoid Trichogramma confusum Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is an important natural enemy of sugarcane stem borers providing excellent control result worldwide. Currently, the demand of this egg parasitoid has been increased rapidly. However, the process of parasitoid production has been limited by many factors and the amount of egg parasitoid production could not be reached the demand related to those of pest in time. The prolonging storage life of egg parasitoid from high production period to supply the need of egg parasitoid at the appropriate time by slowing down its growth rate with low temperature condition was the significant way to improve the management program of sugarcane stem borers efficiently. Therefore, the effects of cold storage on the efficiency of egg parasitoid T. confusum to control sugarcane stem borers were carried out. The pupa of T. confusum were stored under temperature at 4 °C and 75±5 % RH for 12 weeks and part of them was removed out every week in order to evaluate their quality and efficiency of emerging adults based on experiment using completely randomized design with 5 replications. T. confusum could be preserved under low temperature at 4 °C and 75±5 % RH for 1-6 weeks, since the high numbers of emerging adults were significantly found (60-89%) and efficiency of surviving adults was high; however, the effect on their sex ratio was not found.