Testing of the food consumption by different instars of grubs and adults of Mexican beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata on Parthenium hysterophorus L. in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Abstract

Testing of the food consumption by different instars of grubs and adults of Mexican beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister, for the biological control of the Parthenium weed, Parthenium hysterophorus L was explored in the Biocontrol laboratory, Department of Entomology, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, during 2018-19 and 2019-20. Z. bicolorata P. is considered as a safe biocontrol agent but till now it is not well established and spread in Chhattisgarh. Both grubs and adults of Z. bicolorata feed on the leaves and help in defoliation of the weed. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the feeding efficiency of the Mexican beetle, Z. bicolorata, by releasing adults and different instars of grubs of beetles on Parthenium leaf. Overall data of two years indicated that food consumption of Z. bicolorata was maximum (12.58mg) in 3rd instar grubs followed by 4th instar (8.75mg) and minimum by male beetle (1.25mg).