I /Ii,,!. Coli/mi. 15(2): 127-131, 2001 Field evaluation of Cotesiaflavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) (Indonesian strain) against sugarcane stalk and internode borers R. K. TANWAR and ASHOK VARMA Division of Entomology, Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research Lucknow 226 002, Uttar Pradesh, India E-mail:
[email protected] ABS TRA CT: Field trials were conducted on the releases of Cotesia Jlavipes Cameron (Indonesian strain) against sugarcane stalk (Chilo auricilius Dudg.) and internode (Chilo sacchariphagus indiclls Kapur) borers at IISR Farm, Lucknow for consecutive three crop sea sons 1996-97 to 1998-99. The parasitoids were released in one block @ 2000 mated females! ha I month split into four doses from July to October and the other block was treated as check. The results indicated reduction of 56.2, 69.6 and 43.1 per cent in stalk borer infestation in parasitoid released blocks as compared to check, in October during 1996- 97, 1997-98 and 1998~99, respectively. The results remained inconclusive in cases of internode borer due to low infestation. KEY WORDS: Chilo auriciliu.f, Clli/o sacchllriplwgu.f indiclIs. Cotesia Jlavipes. parasitoid. field releases Cotesia Jlavipes Cameron (Hymenoptera: 1979) and Thailand (Suasa-ard and Charernson, Braconidae). an important gregarious larval 1999). In the recent past the Indonesian strain endoparasitoid of different sugarcane borers, has been imported to India through Project namely Chilo infuscatellus Snellen, Chilo Directorate of Biological Control, Bangalore for sacchariphagus indicus Kapur, Chilo evaluation against sugarcane borers. Laboratory tumidicostalis Hmpsn., Sesamia inferens evaluation of this strain has already been done (Walker) and Acigona steniellus (Hmpsn.) is (Tanwar and Varma, 1996).