The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) leaves as food on development, survival and reproduction in Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas). Newly hatched P. nigrispinus nymphs were used in this study. | Research Article Turk J Agric For 34 (2010) 235-244 © TÜBİTAK doi: The influence of fennel feeding on development, survival, and reproduction in Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) José Bruno MALAQUIAS1, Francisco de Sousa RAMALHO1,*, Jefferson Virgínio Silva SOUZA1, Karjoene Cassimiro Vieira RODRIGUES1, Paulo Alves WANDERLEY2 1Unidade de Controle Biológico, Embrapa Algodão; Campina Grande, PB 58107-720, BRAZIL 2Centro de Formação de Tecnólogos, Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Bananeiras, PB 58000-000, BRAZIL Received: Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) leaves as food on development, survival, and reproduction in Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas). Newly hatched P. nigrispinus nymphs were used in this study. The prey consisted of 3rd-instar Alabama argillacea (Huebner) larvae. Fennel and cotton leaves were not sufficient to enable the full development of the predator to its adult stage. It was verified that 35% of the nymphs that fed on cotton leaves and water, and 31% of the nymphs that fed on fennel leaves and water completed their 2nd instar in days and days, respectively, while nymphs from the 1st instar that had a water diet did not complete their 2nd instar and achieved days of longevity. The high fecundity in the P. nigrispinus females fed fennel or cotton leaves was mainly due to an increase in the number of egg clutches per female, which resulted in greater egg production, when compared to females that did not have plants in their diet. Phytophagy could make P. nigrispinus an efficient agent for the biological control in intercropping systems of cotton with fennel. Key words: Fennel, feeding, Asopinae, behavior, predator Introduction The cotton leafworm, Alabama argillacea (Huebner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is the main cotton leaf feeder in Brazil (Ramalho 1994). In addition to chemical pesticides, alternative .
