Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids
The development of cost-effective diets for mass-rearing fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoids in pest control programs based on the Sterile Insect Technique is a high priority worldwide. To this end, we tested carrageenan, agar, gelatin and two types of pregelatinized corn starch...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/2/131 |
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| author | Carlos Pascacio-Villafán Larissa Guillén Martín Aluja |
| author_facet | Carlos Pascacio-Villafán Larissa Guillén Martín Aluja |
| author_sort | Carlos Pascacio-Villafán |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The development of cost-effective diets for mass-rearing fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoids in pest control programs based on the Sterile Insect Technique is a high priority worldwide. To this end, we tested carrageenan, agar, gelatin and two types of pregelatinized corn starches as gelling agents at varying percentages in a yeast-reduced liquid larval diet for rearing the Mexfly, <i>Anastrepha ludens</i>. Only diets with 0.234% (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) agar or 0.424% carrageenan were identified as diets with potential for mass-rearing <i>A. ludens</i> in terms of the number of pupae recovered from the diet, pupal weight, adult emergence, flight ability and diet cost. Comparative experiments showed that yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets produced heavier pupae and higher proportions of flying adults than the standard mass-rearing diet. The gel-agar and mass-rearing diets produced more pupae than the gel-carrageenan diet, but the latter produced more suitable larvae as hosts for rearing of <i>Diachasmimorpha longicaudata</i> (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) females, a widely used fruit fly biocontrol agent. Yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets could represent cost-effective fruit fly mass-rearing diets if a practical system for gel diet preparation and dispensation at fruit fly mass-rearing facilities is developed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:29:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-14681f6dd93041f7b588345ab8ad5748 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:29:58Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-14681f6dd93041f7b588345ab8ad57482022-12-22T01:41:33ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502020-02-0111213110.3390/insects11020131insects11020131Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their ParasitoidsCarlos Pascacio-Villafán0Larissa Guillén1Martín Aluja2Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Clúster Científico y Tecnológico BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, MexicoRed de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Clúster Científico y Tecnológico BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, MexicoRed de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Clúster Científico y Tecnológico BioMimic®, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91073, Veracruz, MexicoThe development of cost-effective diets for mass-rearing fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) and their parasitoids in pest control programs based on the Sterile Insect Technique is a high priority worldwide. To this end, we tested carrageenan, agar, gelatin and two types of pregelatinized corn starches as gelling agents at varying percentages in a yeast-reduced liquid larval diet for rearing the Mexfly, <i>Anastrepha ludens</i>. Only diets with 0.234% (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) agar or 0.424% carrageenan were identified as diets with potential for mass-rearing <i>A. ludens</i> in terms of the number of pupae recovered from the diet, pupal weight, adult emergence, flight ability and diet cost. Comparative experiments showed that yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets produced heavier pupae and higher proportions of flying adults than the standard mass-rearing diet. The gel-agar and mass-rearing diets produced more pupae than the gel-carrageenan diet, but the latter produced more suitable larvae as hosts for rearing of <i>Diachasmimorpha longicaudata</i> (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) females, a widely used fruit fly biocontrol agent. Yeast-reduced agar and carrageenan gel diets could represent cost-effective fruit fly mass-rearing diets if a practical system for gel diet preparation and dispensation at fruit fly mass-rearing facilities is developed.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/2/131<i>anastrepha ludens</i>insect rearingdiet optimizationsterile insect techniquehymenopterous parasitoids |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Pascacio-Villafán Larissa Guillén Martín Aluja Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids Insects <i>anastrepha ludens</i> insect rearing diet optimization sterile insect technique hymenopterous parasitoids |
| title | Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids |
| title_full | Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids |
| title_fullStr | Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids |
| title_short | Agar and Carrageenan as Cost-Effective Gelling Agents in Yeast-Reduced Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Fruit Flies and Their Parasitoids |
| title_sort | agar and carrageenan as cost effective gelling agents in yeast reduced artificial diets for mass rearing fruit flies and their parasitoids |
| topic | <i>anastrepha ludens</i> insect rearing diet optimization sterile insect technique hymenopterous parasitoids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/2/131 |
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