Effect of certain food plants on key demographicrnparameters of Chrotogonus trachypterus Blanchard (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Abstract

Grasshoppers are mainlyrnpolyphagous, but showed definite preferences and some degree of selectivity forrncertain categories of plants. There is complex interaction between propertiesrnof the food, feeding behavior, digestion and assimilation, physiology,rnmetabolism and specific nutritional requirements of the insect. A laboratoryrnstudy was conducted on effect of some selected food plants on key demographicrnparameters of Chrotogonus trachypterus Blanchard. Survival andrnlongevity of nymphs as well as the reproductive performance of C.rntrachypterus Blanchard was greater and better, fed on cauliflower asrncompared to those fed only on spinach, tomato, cabbage, bajara and gram. Asrnrevealed by growth index, highest growth occurred on cauliflower (1.83 andrn1.64) followed by spinach (1.31, 1.43) > tomato (1.38, 1.26) > cabbagern(1.53, 1.15) > bajara (1.30, 1.27) > gram (1.26, 1.09) > wheat (1.18,rn1.09) > grass (1.09, 1.02) > brinjal (0.72, 0.68) and groundnut (0.67,rn0.61) in decreasing order.