Influence of canola hulls on gain in weight of larvae of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L
Davis, G.R.; Campbell, S.J.; McGregor, D.I.
Archives Internationales de Physiologie et de Biochimie 91(5): 443-450
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9799 PMID: 6204614 Document Number: 205050
Larva T. molitor L. Gembloux strain, race F, were reared on diets in which the protein component was supplied by defatted ground seed, defatted ground dehulled fraction, or defatted ground hulls of Brassica napus L. cv. Tower or B. campestris L. cv. Candle, obtained from autoclaved seed. They were also fed casein diets to which defatted ground hulls of 'Tower' or 'Candle' seed were added. Gain in weight was equally good for all diets containing 'Candle' seed fractions and for diets containing 'Tower' ground seed. It was lower for diets containing the ground dehulled fraction or the ground hulls of 'Tower'. Addition of 'Candle' hulls or of a mixture of equal proportions (wt/wt) of 'Candle' and 'Tower' hulls to diets containing dehulled 'Tower' did not improve the gain in weight of larvae, compared with that of larvae fed diets containing the dehulled fraction, alone. Similar additions of 'Tower' hulls or of the mixture to diets containing the dehulled fraction of 'Candle' has no adverse effect on larval gain in weight, compared to that registered by larvae fed the dehulled fraction of 'Candle'. Significant improvement in weight gain in comparison with that recorded for larvae fed the unsupplemented casein diet could not be demonstrated when ground hulls of 'Tower' or 'Candle' were added to this diet. Considered collectively, weight gains of larvae of T. molitor were consistently greater when 'Candle' products were fed than when 'Tower' products provided the protein fraction of the diet.