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To control the pest, farmers in Asia spray
their eggplant crops frequently with a plethora of chemicals.
Surveys indicate that in some countries farmers spray every 2
to 3 days. This level of insecticide use increases the cost of
production, exposes farmers and consumers to toxic residues,
pollutes the environment, and leads to insecticide resistance
in the insect. |
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In order to develop alternative, safer, and
sustainable control measures, it is essential to accelerate the
pace research. In any such research it is essential to have a
continuous supply of insects. In many areas of Asia, the fruit
and shoot borer is seasonal, present in large numbers only during
the hot, dry season. AVRDC has developed a rearing procedure
that allows easy multiplication of the pest in the laboratory,
on an artificial diet, throughout the year. |
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When fortified with eggplant fruit powder,
diets commonly used for rearing polyphagous insects (such as
Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera exigua, or Spodoptera
litura) can also be used for rearing Leucinodes. To
rear Leucinodes at AVRDC, we use the S. exigua
diet sold by BioServe Inc., USA, to which 1 part dried eggplant
powder is added for every 10 parts of commercial preparation.
Locally developed diets for H. armigera, S. litura,
or S. exigua, fortified with eggplant fruit powder, can
also be used. |
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