Studies on the Biology of Fruit and Shoot Borer (Earias vittella) on Okra Crops
Priyanshu Pracheta
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rahul Kumar
*
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Naveen Vikram Singh
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
CK Tripathi
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sultanpur-I, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Nikhil Srivastava
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Shashank Srivastav
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Alok Kumar
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur- 228118. Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) is an important vegetable crop, and the fruit and shoot borer, Earias vittella, is a major pest affecting its vegetative and reproductive stages. The present laboratory study was conducted to examine the biology, developmental duration, morphometric characters, adult longevity, sex ratio and fecundity of E. vittella on okra. Infested fruits were collected from the field and maintained under laboratory conditions to establish the initial culture. The insect completed its life cycle through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The incubation period ranged from 3 to 5 days, with a mean duration of 3.6 ± 0.80 days. The larval stage consisted of five instars and was the longest developmental phase, with a total larval duration of 13 to 19 days and a mean of 15.75 ± 1.58 days. The prepupal and pupal periods averaged 1.35 ± 0.47 and 7.8 ± 0.83 days, respectively. Adult males lived for 6 to 13 days, while females lived for 7 to 15 days. Female fecundity ranged from 95 to 309 eggs, with an average of 210.33 ± 63.50 eggs. The sex ratio was recorded as 1:0.66. The findings provide baseline information on the developmental biology of E. vittella under laboratory conditions.
Keywords: Okra, Earias vittella, fruit and shoot borer, biology, developmental period, morphology, morphometrics