Impact of Oviposition Sequence and Host Egg Density on Offspring Emergence and Interspecific Competition in Two Species of Trichogramma Parasitoids

Asian corn borer (ACB), <i>Ostrinia furnacalis</i> Guenee (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and the rice moth (RM), <i>Corycyra cephalonica</i> Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) are economically significant insect pests that threaten the agricultural products worldwide. <i>Trichogramma</i> parasitoids are successfully mass-reared using artificial host eggs, RM, and are often managed by economically important lepidopterous pests, such as ACB in China. <i>Trichogramma ostriniae</i> Pang and Chen (To) and <i>T. dendrolimi</i> Matsumura (Td) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are two important parasitoids of ACB. To determine the influence of interspecific competition between To and Td on their offspring's emergence. We determine the emergence of wasp progeny from two distinct hosts (ACB and RM eggs) of varying densities (10, 20, 30, and 100) by examining the effect of three distinct oviposition sequences (To-Td, Td-To, and To+Td) by two <i>Trichogramma</i> species. We discovered that the progeny emergence rate of To and Td from the host was substantially influenced by the parasitoid types, host types, oviposition sequences, and host densities, and their two-, three-, and four-factor interactions while investigating the ACB and RM eggs after oviposition. Additionally, the progeny of Td emerged from 10, 20, and 30 ACB host eggs under three oviposition sequences, which was significantly higher than that of ACB eggs of 100 densities. Nevertheless, the optimum emergence rate of Td progeny was also observed in ACB eggs with a density of 100 under all oviposition sequences. The most suitable oviposition sequences for both wasp species are To-Td and Td-To, as they have the highest rate of progeny emergence. The progeny emergence of both <i>Trichogramma</i> species from RM eggs of varying densities was observed to be significantly different. Nevertheless, the most influential density is 100 RM eggs, as a result of the maximal emergence rate of To and Td. Overall, it is concluded that host eggs with a density of 100 are adequate to meet the oviposition requirements of both wasps in all oviposition orders, thereby limiting their interspecific competition. These findings provide insights into optimizing host density and oviposition strategies for mass-rearing <i>Trichogramma</i> species, which can enhance their efficacy in biological control programs. Future research should explore field-level applications to validate these laboratory findings under natural conditions.