Tri-Trophic Interaction of Different Diet Fed Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) on Feeding Efficiency of Reduviid Predator, Sycanus collaris (Fab.) Under Laboratory Condition

Sycanus collaris Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) are voracious and polyphagous reduviid predators of economically important insect pests of agriculture and forest. Only limited work has been done in case of S. collaris, but life history of these predators on Corcyra cephalonica Stainton were documented. The present study was carried out at the Bio-control laboratory, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.), during February to May, 2018 with an aim to assess influence of various diets fed C. cephalonica larvae on feeding efficiency of reduviid predator, S. collaris, which are responsible for preference and non-preference of reduviid bugs for mass rearing in laboratory conditions. For this experiment, ten freshly hatched first instar S. collaris nymphs were placed in Petri-dish, replicated thrice and larvae of C. cephalonica reared on twelve different diets were provided throughout their life cycle and the feeding efficiency was recorded. Results indicated that feeding efficiency of S. collaris was found to be maximum (183.31) in T1 (Rice), whereas it was found to be minimum (91.33) in T9 (Maize + Groundnut) reared larvae of C. cephalonica.