Comparative Demographic Parameters of Safflower Capsule Fly, Acanthiophilus helianthi (Dip.: Tephritidae) on Different Safflower Genotypes

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an important oilseed crop in Iran and many other countries around the world. Safflower fly, Acanthiophilus helianthi Rossi is one of the main limiting agents to expand the production area of the crop in different countries and the most major pests of safflower in Iran. In this research, the influence of 10 safflower genotypes on biology and population parameters of A. helianthi was evaluated under the laboratory conditions at 25±1°C, 65±5% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L: D) hours. The shortest and longest total developmental time were recorded in Mexico 37 (16.85±0.31) and Goldasht (21.76±0.59), respectively. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) ranged from 0.129 to 0.186 (day-1), which was lowest on Goldasht and highest in Mexico 37. The net reproductive rate (R0) ranged from 50.809 to 125.846 offspring on different genotypes. The values of finite rate of increase (λ) and mean generation time (T) on different safflower genotypes ranged from 1.138 to 1.205 day-1 and 25.778 to 30.421 days, respectively. The results demonstrated that Goldasht, Line 411, and KW2 genotypes were less suitable host plants, suggesting that they are more resistant to A. helianthi than the other genotypes, have high yield, and could have the potential for using in Integrated Pest Management program (IPM) of A. helianthi in safflower fields.