Johnson Grass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.]: A Potential Food Plant for Attaining Higher Grasshopper Biomass in Acridid Farms

Acridid grasshoppers can be used as an alternative feed for livestock. For a continuous supply to the livestock industries, acridid farming should be considered. In acridid farms, suitable green plants should be used to feed grasshoppers to enhance their biomass production so that maximum amount of this alternative protein source can be supplied to the livestock industries. In the present study, Oxya fuscovittata (Marschall) was used as a model acridid. Four plant seedlings, namely, Oryza sativa L., Triticum aestivum L., Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. and Cynodon dactylon Pers. were used as green food for consumption of the insects. Nymphal survival, growth, nymphal duration, food consumption and utilization, adult life span, egg pod laying ability and egg hatchability were observed to show the suitability of these plants for use in acridid farms. Among the four food plants, S. halepense was found to be the most suitable because the parameters observed for the species were highest when fed with this food plant. Establishing acridid farms and using S. halepense as food will produce high biomass of O. fuscovittata for the production of a low-cost feed for the poultry and fish industries.