Determination of useful barley selections in an improvement program for increased lysine content by larvae of Tenebrio molitor L.

Larvae of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L., Gembloux strain, race F, were reared for 4 weeks at 27 +/- 0.25 degrees C and 65 +/- 5% relative humidity. They were fed on each of 22 cultivars of barley, at the protein level occurring in harvested seed and at a protein level of 10% of dietary protein. Growth and body composition of the larvae were correlated positively and significantly with the concentrations of basic amino acids in the barleys and negatively and significantly with the concentrations of leucine. The percentage of crude protein in larval tissues can be used as a measure of available lysine in barley cultivars, and gains in fresh weight of larvae as indices of arginine concentrations. Differences were evident between the biological and chemical estimations of these amino acids. Several of the Saskatoon barley selections, derived from crosses with Hiproly, were equal to Hiproly or Risø varieties in the amounts of lysine available to the larvae.