Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates [ 2002-01-01 - 2006-03-22 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Emeritus Professor Gimme Walter (Chief Investigator) ,  Emeritus Professor Gimme Walter (Chief Investigator) ,  Mr Dan Papacek (Partner Investigator)

Brief description Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates. The mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial purposes demands the development of cost-effective techniques for breeding and distributing them to growers. Many predatory beneficial insects lay their eggs in sites that prevent effective mass culturing. To circumvent this difficulty, it should be possible to define such oviposition sites in chemical and physical terms, and then use the information to develop artificial substrates that are convenient for mass rearing the insects and for disseminating them to growers. We will use the mealybug predator Cryptolaemus montrouszieri to test the feasibility of this approach and to assess its application to other beneficial species.

Funding Amount $67,635

Funding Scheme Linkage Projects

View this grant in the ARC Data Portal