Li, XiaofeiFeng, DandanXue, QiqiMeng, TinglingMa, RuiyanDeng, AngieZhang, Zhiwei2025-05-102025-05-1020190022-04931938-291X10.1093/jee/toy3252-s2.0-85061509488https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy325https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14720/13643Chi, Hsin/0000-0001-8130-0248Carposina sasakii Matsumura is one of the most destructive fruit-boring pests of pome and stone fruit trees in eastern Asia. Because larvae complete their development inside a single fruit, larval density per fruit is a critical factor in their survival, development, and fecundity. The effect of larval density was examined to determine the ideal density for devising an economic and sustainable mass-rearing system for harvesting of C. sasakii. Mass production of insects of the same age of a specific stage is not only important in biological control, but also in pheromone extraction, culturing of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi, etc. Life history data for six larval densities (1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-30, and 31-40 larvae/apple) were collected at 25.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C, 75.0 +/- 5.0% RH, and a photoperiod of 15:9 (L: D) h. Data were analyzed using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The results showed that the highest preadult survival rate (42.00%), fecundity (104.70 eggs), and population parameters (intrinsic rate of increase r = 0.0718 d(-1), net reproductive rate R-0 = 23.03 eggs, and finite rate of increase = 1.0744 d(-1)) were observed at a density of 1-5 larvae/apple. However, when the rearing costs and production rate were considered, the density of 16-20 larvae/apple was the most economical for mass-rearing C. sasakii in order to achieve a daily harvest rate of 1,000 pupae (from 273 apples per day). To ensure the sustainability of the mass-rearing system, we included the life table variability in the harvesting strategy.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessPeach Fruit MothRearing TechniqueLarval DensityAge-Stage Two-Sex Life TableSustainable HarvestingArticle