Development of the larval diet for the South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae)

VERA MARIA TERESA; OVIEDO ANDREA; ABRAHAM SOLANA; RUIZ JOSEFINA; MENDOZA MARIANA; CHANG, CH.L.; WILLINK EDUARDO

International Journal of Tropical Insect science

Cambridge University Press

Año: 2014 vol. 34 p. 73 - 81

1742-7584

To implement the sterile insect technique (SIT) against Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), mass-rearing protocols must be developed, inparticular a cost-effective larval diet. Key elements of this diet are theoptimal nutrients and their concentrations, diet support or a bulking agent andthe diet pH. To improve the currently used formulation and develop a more cost-effective diet, we evaluated various supports, sugar contents, nutrient proportions and levels of pH. Egg to pupa recovery increased when a sponge cloth replaced the agar. Although the values obtained were still low, the diet with sugar cane bagasse showed recovery values similar to those of the agar-based diet but the percentage of adult emergence was lower. Larval viability increased when the amount of sugar was doubled. Yet is still necessary to evaluate this diet on a larger scale and determine the feasibility of reusing the sponge cloth to reduce larval diet costs.