Pengaruh Kerapatan Pemeliharaan Nimfa terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Perkembangan Kepik Buas Sycanus annulicornis Dohrn. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Abstract

Sycanus annulicornis Dohrn. is a potential predator to suppress leaf-eating pest populations in agricultural crops, plantation and forestry crops. The research was conducted in the Plant Pests Laboratory of Agriculture Faculty Padjadjaran University, Bandung. The aim of this research is to develop rearing technique of Assassin bug predator S. annulicornis in group. The effect of nymph rearing density on growth and development of S. annulicornis nymphs reared in group was evaluated and compared to that reared individually. The results showed that the technique of nymphs rearing significantly (P <0.05) influenced on the time of nymph development compared with individual rearing technique. The average total development time of nymph 1st instar until turn to imago reared in group was shorter of ± 20 days compared to the nymphs reared individually. Nymphs density also affected the time of the nymphs development in each stadia. The mean body weight of nymphs 1st, 2nd, and 3rd instar reareded in groups were also significantly higher (P <0.05) than that of nymphs individually reared. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the nymph S. annulicornis of 1st instar can be reared in groups with a nymph density of 6 nymphs per 165.92 cm3 in the rearing container until it turns into nymph 4th instar and subsequently the nymph density of 4th instar was reduced to 2 nymphs per 165.95 cm3 or space in the rearing container was enlarged to 30-80 cm3 per nymph. With this grouped rearing technique, mass production of S. annulicornis predators as biological control agents can be done more practically, efficiently and economically.