An artificial diet for rearing the spotted bollworm, Earias vittella (Fabricius) was developed under laboratory conditions (temperature 27± 1 °C, RH 60 ± 5% and 16:8 h scoto/photophase regime). The diet ingredients consisted of wheatgerm (5 g), seeds of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. var. Pusa 8-6) (50 g) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. var. Kabuli)(35 g) as base materials along with agar-agar (15 g), dried yeast powder (8.0 g), methyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (1.0 g), L-ascorbic acid (1.2 g), sorbic acid (1.0 g), cholesterol (0.2 g), streptomycin sulphate (0.2 g), and multivitamin multimineral and vitamin E capsules (one each). After rearing neonates on okra for 3^1 days, the diet supported the growth and development of E. vittella successfully for eight generations. Larval development on this diet was completed in 11.9 + 0.66 days against 11.64 days on the pest's preferred natural host, okra (Abelmoschus esculenhis) Moench. The growth and developmental indices on the artificial diet for the eight generations are reported.
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