![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
SUMMARY
The paper presents the results of observations made on the consumption and utilization of food by 3rd, 4th, and the 5th or the last instar larvae of Pieris brassicae (L.). The consumption index (C.I.) decreases with the increase of the larval age except on the first day of the 5th instar where we found an increase in C.I. with respect to the previous day. The relative growth (G.R.) rises and falls with the efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body matter (E. C. I.) and the efficiency with which digested food is converted to body matter (E.C.D.) except on the last day of the 5th instar where we found a decrease in G.R. followed by an high increase of E.C.I, et E.C.D. The approximate digestibility (A.D.) was found to vary from instar to an instar and does not follow other indices.
The % of dry matter of the larvae studied was found to increase with the increase of the number of instars.
The dry weight and the number of fecal pellets produced by the larvae varied from instar to an instar and were found to be an unreliable index for estimation of the food consumption.