author(s)
PK Netam, HK Chandrakar and BP Katlam

abstract
Comparative performance of different host plants of lac insect Kerria lacca (Kerr) during 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. During study investigate the brood lac inoculation (BLI) and productivity parameters on different host plants viz. palas (B. monosperma) and ber (Z. mauritiana) for rangeeni, katki (rainy) and kusum (S. oleosa) and semialata (F. semialata) for kusmi, aghani (winter) strain. The highest mean number of stick lac 244.40 per plant with mean length of stick lac 56.12 cm per stick lac, maximum mean fresh weight of stick lac 49.88 g per 30 cm length of stick lac, maximum mean weight of scraped lac 21.72 g per 30 cm stick lac, maximum mean weight of raw stick lac 59.25 kg per plant, highest mean weight of fresh and dry weight of 100 lac cells 8.68 and 7.16 g and yield potential 7.89 on kusum host in kusmi, aghani (winter) strain. But maximum mean length of stick lac 90.88 cm per stick lac and highest yield potential 8.33 was recorded on ber host plant in rangeeni, katki (rainy) strain. Among the different host plants kusum was found best host plant in kusmi strain for commercial lac production viz. Maximum number of stick lac, highest number of larval settlement and maximum cost benefit ratio with (3.97). While ber (Z.mauritiana) was performed highest mean length of stick lac 90.88 and highest yield potential 8.33 in rangeeni, katki (rainy) strain.