Study on the feeding amount and lignocellulose conversion rate of Coptotermes formosanus to six kinds of plant materials

ZENG Xiaohu; YU Yang; QIAN Lianbing; HUANG Zhuwei; XIANG Dongyuan

doi:10.19821/j.1671-2781.2025.03.017

Abstract：Objective To explore the conversion rate of cellulose and hemicellulose of Coptotermes formosanus.Methods The feeding amount and excreta weight of Coptotermes formosanus on six kinds of plant materials after starvation treatment were determine,and the contents of cellulose and hemicellulose were measured by anthrone sulfuric acid method and orcinol method,respectively.Results The feeding amount of C.formosanus population,daily feeding amount of population and daily feeding amount of individual showed the same rule,Albizzia julibrissn＞Metasequoia glyptostroboides＞Pinus massoniana＞Phyllostachys praecox＞filter paper＞Cyclobalanopsis glauca.The feeding amount of A.julibrissn was significantly higher than that of other materials,M.glyptostroboides and P.massoniana were significantly higher than that of filter paper and C.glauca,and P.praecox was significantly higher than that of C.glauca.There was no significant difference between filter paper and C.glauca.The conversion rates of cellulose and hemicellulose of termites to different materials were 56.21％-82.29％and 52.13％-80.96％,respectively,and they were all＞50％.The cellulose conversion rates were P.praecox＞P.massoniana＞A.julibrissn＞filter paper＞M.glyptostroboides＞C.glauca.The hemicellulose conversion rates were filter paper＞C.glauca＞A.julibrissn＞P.praecox＞M.glyptostroboides＞P.massoniana.Conclusion A.julibrissn is a kind of plant material with high feeding amount for C.formosanus,and it has the potential to be developed as termite bait.The cellulose and hemicellulose conversion rates of C.formosanus to differents materials are different,so as to provide data reference for the study of lignocellulose conversion rate.