Vol. 9, Issue 12, Part F (2025)

An experiment was carried out to assess the biology of H. armigera on pearl millet under laboratory conditions at Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh during year of 2024. The incubation period of H. armigera eggs was average 3.40±0.75 days. While, hatching per cent of the eggs laid by female H. armigera moths was with an average of 84.00±4.89 per cent. Freshly emerged first instar larvae were semitranslucent, yellowish white in colour with an average duration of 2.43±0.49 days. Second instar larvae were reddish brown with dark brown hairs and pigments, and they lasted an average of 2.90±0.70 days. Third instar larvae were slightly brownish in colour with an average duration of 3.46±0.61 days. Fourth instar larvae were greenish yellow in colour with an average duration of 3.10±0.70 days. Head of fifth instar larvae became reddish yellow or light brown in colour with an average duration of 4.30±0.69 days. Full-grown sixth instar larvae were greenish with dark broken grey lines along the side of the body with an average duration of 4.66±0.69 days. While, average duration of total larval period was 20.86±3.90 days. The prepupal and pupal stages ranged with an average of 1.93±0.51 days and 13.46±0.99 days, respectively. The sex ratio revealed that females out-numbered males and sex ratio was 1:0.76 (M:F). The pre-oviposition period occupied the 2.80±0.40 days, oviposition period occupied 5.60±0.48 days while, post-oviposition period was of 1.60±0.48 days. Individual females can lay 354.60±31.95 eggs. The males live shorter (8.80±0.74 days) and female live longer 11.00±0.96 days. Total life span of male and female adult was 47.80±2.03 and 50.80±1.22 days, respectively.