HOST PLANT PREFERENCE OF Pieris rapae L. ON VARIOUS PLANTS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

The suitability of three host plants, cabbage, turnip, and radish, for the evolution and propagation of Pieris rapae was estimated. Host plants were reared in larval instars after being detached. The evolution period was shorter when P. rapae was fed cabbage leaves (28.54 ± 1.29 days) which the P. rapae; was reared on cabbage leaves and longer when fed radish leaves (31.80 ± 1.40 days). Pieris rapae biology revealed that eggs hatched in 3-5 days, with a mean of 3.29±0.24, 4.80 ±0.18 and 2.86± 0.24 days on cabbage, Turnip and Radish, respectively. It had five larval instars, and the total larval development period was significantly shorter (17.68 ± 1.67 days) when fed cabbage leaves and longer (23.57 ± 1.73 days) when fed turnip leaves. When P. rapae was reared as a radish, adult life span was significantly increased, as was food consumption. P. rapae had the highest fecundity when fed cabbage (201.0 ± 9.97 eggs/female) and the lowest fecundity when fed radish (183.00 ±7.45 eggs/female).