Parasitisation of brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée by Trathala flavoorbitalis Cameron

Abstract

For the eco-friendly management of any pest, biological control agents are promising element. Studies were undertaken to find the natural parasitisation efficiency and population dynamics of Trathala flavoorbitalis Cameron a nonspecific parasitoid of brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée. T. flavoorbitalis was found to be an abundant parasitoid in brinjal ecosystem. The maximum natural infestation of T. flavoorbitalis in field was 40.00 per cent. The parasitoid infestation was significantly positively correlated with increase in fruit damage. Sex ratio studies in the parasitoids revealed that the males outnumbered females during the initial period of emergence, whereas at later period the females were more in number.