INTRINSIC RATE OF INCREASE OF APHIDIUS-COLEMANI VIER (HYM, BRACONIDAE), A PARASITOID OF APHIS-GOSSYPII GLOV (HOM, APHIDIDAE), AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

Increasing problems with chemical control of cotton aphid, Aphis gossy pii Glov., in vegetable crops necessitate development of a biological control programme. An endoparasitoid of cotton aphid, Aphidius coleman i Vier., is one of the candidate control agents. Data on longevity, re production, and development of A. colemani with A. gossypii as host ar e presented in this paper. The parasitoid has a fecundity of 302 eggs per female at 20-degrees-C and 388 eggs per female at 25-degrees-C, a developmental period of 12.7 days at 20-degrees-C and 10.0 days at 25- degrees-C, and an immature mortality of 14.1 % at 20-degrees-C and 27. 8 % at 25-degrees-C. The intrinsic rate of increase of the parasitoid is both at 20 and at 25-degrees-C comparable to the intrinsic rate of increase of the cotton aphid. Aphidius colemani seems, therefore, a pr omising candidate for biological control of cotton aphid.