Biocontrol performance of egg parasitoid Uscana mukherjii (Mani) Sharma Vivek, Joshi Vister, Kaushik Nutan The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi-110003. Email: viveksc2008@gmail.com Online published on 27 July, 2018. Abstract Experiments on biological control of two bruchid pests Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) and C. chinensis Linnaeus with an egg parasitoid, Uscana mukherjii (Mani) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) were conducted. Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp, Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek and Cicer arietinum L. were used as hosts for these bruchids. The parasitoid reduced C. maculatus survival by 34.7, 42.4 and 25.4% and reduction in weight loss by 30.6, 34.8 and 18.7% on C. cajan, V. radiata and C. arietinum, respectively under no choice condition. Whereas in free choice test, 48.1, 37.7 and 33.14% reduction in survival was recorded which resulted in 48.5, 39.6 and 43.0% reduction in weight loss on C. cajan, V. radiata and C. arietinum, respectively. While in case of C. chinensis, reduction in survival was 29.8, 32.0, and 22.6% which resulted with 24.5, 19.9, and 20.45 weight loss on C. cajan, V. radiata and C. arietinum, respectively in no choice test. In free choice test, 26.8, 28.8 and 28.7% reduction in population of C. chinensis was recorded with reduction in weight loss being 30.7, 21.4 and 44.9% on C. cajan, V. radiata and C. arietinum, respectively. Results conclude that U. mukherjii could be a useful component of IPM to manage C. maculatus and C. chinensis on the stored pulses. Top Keywords Callosobruchus chinensis, C. maculatus, biological control, Uscana mukerjii, pigeonpea, cowpea, bengal gram, survival, weight loss. Top |