Comparison of Bradysia odoriphaga Yang and Zhang reared on artificial diet and different host plants based on an age-stage, two-sex life table

An age-stage two-sex life table was constructed in order to investigate the differences in population characteristics between Bradysia odoriphaga Yang and Zhang individuals reared on artificial diet, Chinese chive [Allium tuberosum], Welsh onion [Allium cepa], cucumber [Cucumis sativus], lettuce [Lactuca sativa], and Chinese cabbage [Brassica rapa pekinensis]. A population projection was also used to determine the potential trend of populations. The intrinsic rates of increase (r) of B. odoriphaga reared on artificial diet, Chinese chive, Welsh onion, cucumber, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage were 0.1477, 0.1545, 0.1295, 0.1405, 0.1294, and 0.0732 d(-1), respectively. The highest net reproductive rate was 61.26 offspring per individual reared on Chinese chive, followed by 53.19, 49.90, 38.15, 30.54, and 16.20 offspring per individual for populations reared on artificial diet, Welsh onion, cucumber, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage, respectively. The mean generation times of B. odoriphaga ranged from 25.88 days when reared on cucumber to 37.86 days when reared on Chinese cabbage. B. odoriphaga feeding on Chinese cabbage had the longest total preoviposition period of female insects from birth (TPOP), larval and pupal period, and the lowest fecundity, and this insect reared on Chinese chive had the highest survival rate and reproductive value. The population projection revealed B. odoriphaga had explosive population growth in a relatively short time when reared on Chinese chive. These findings demonstrated that B. odoriphaga can successfully survive on artificial diet and five host plants, and our results showed the superiority of mass rearing B. odoriphaga on Chinese chives and the laboratory-prepared diet. These findings obtained under laboratory conditions also lay the basis for further studies of the population development of B. odoriphaga in the different host plants fields.