Management of the Diamondback Moth and Other Crucifer Insect ...

0.84, 1.40 and 1.69 mm, respectively (Table 2). Theneonate larvae were gregarious on the abaxial surfaceand, for up to 5 days after hatching, fed by scraping theleaf resulting in a papery appearance. The medium sizelarvae fed on the underside of the leaf without eatingthrough the uppermost leaf layer and created windowlikedamage. In the later stage, the larvae causeddefoliation, entered into the head of the cauliflower andmade tunnels, which were covered by fine silken webswith rotting of crops.Table 1. Duration of different stages in the life cycle of Crocidolomia binotalis on CauliflowerS. No. Particulars/StageDuration (Days)Minimum Maximum Mean ± SEM*1. Egg period 2.0 4.0 3.0 ± 0.062. Larval periodI instar 2.00 3.00 2.50 ± 0.040II instar 2.00 3.00 2.50 ± 0.043III instar 1.50 2.50 2.00 ± 0.025IV instar 1.50 2.50 2.00 ± 0.020V instar 1.50 2.50 2.00 ± 0.023Total larval period 8.50 13.50 11.00 ± 0.0473. Pre-pupal period 1.00 2.00 1.50 ± 0.0234. Pupal period 6.00 8.00 7.00 ± 0.1285. Pre-oviposition period 1.00 2.00 1.50 ± 0.0226. Oviposition period 5.00 7.00 6.00 ± 0.1457. Adult longevityMale 2.00 3.00 2.50 ± 0.237Female 1.00 2.00 1.50 ± 0.2048. Total duration of life cycle (Egg to adult longevity)Male 26.00 40.00 32.50 ± 0.962Female 25.00 39.00 31.50 ± 0.9469. Adult emergence (%) 62.27 72.45 67.36 ± 1.462Male 27.98 32.55 30.26 ± 0.653Female 34.30 39.90 37.10 ± 0.801Sex ratio 1 : 1.23PupaWhen the larvae reached full growth, they burrowed intothe soil near the base of the plant and pupated. Thefreshly formed pupae were yellowish-brown, which laterbecame dark brown in colour. The average size of thepupa was 10.0 mm in length with 3.0 mm width in malesand 12.0 mm in length with 4.0 mm width in females.The pupal period ranged from 6 to 8 days.AdultThe female moths emerged about one day before themales. Adults have black thoraxes and reddish brownabdomens. Females bear a curved ovipositor and weregenerally larger than males. During the day they hideunder the cauliflower leaves and when disturbed, theywere able to fly for short distances. In both males andfemales, there were considerable variations in delineationof markings on the cream background of the forewings.Males have greater delineation and were easilyrecognized by a tuft of dark hairs at the anterior marginof the forewings, which the females lacked (Figure 1).The adult wing span was 21.5 and 19.5 mm in males andfemales, respectively. Males have larger bodies (12.5mm) than females (10.0 mm). But, visually, femaleshave larger abdomens than males. On an average, maleand female moths survived for 10.0 and 9.0 days. Thetotal lifecycle of males and females lasted for 32.5 and31.5 days. The mean pre-oviposition, oviposition andadult longevity after oviposition for a female were 1.5,6.0 and 1.5 days, respectively.The 6th International Workshop on Management of the Diamondback Moth and Other Crucifer Insect Pests 33