Effect of Different Diet Formulations on Adult Emergence of Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton)

Experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of various diet formulations on the adult emergence of Corcyra cephalonica, an important factitious host used in biological control programs. Ten different diets, including five solo grains (sorghum, maize, bajra, ragi, and broken rice) and five additive-enriched combinations (with groundnut powder and yeast), were tested under controlled conditions. Data on adult emergence were recorded weekly for five weeks. Among the diets, bajra and sorghum with additives resulted in the highest moth emergence (1294.3 adults), followed by bajra alone (1156.7) and maize + sorghum + additives (1007.0), whereas broken rice yielded the lowest moth emergence. These results confirm that dietary additives significantly enhance the reproductive performance of C. cephalonica and can be recommended for cost-effective mass rearing in biocontrol programs.