ARS | Publication request: FEEDING AND OVIPOSITION BEHAVIOR OF BEET ARMYWORM ON DIFFERENT HOST PLANTS

Submitted to: International Plant Protection Congress
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: October 31, 2003
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), consumption rate, development time, life table parameters, and oviposition preferences were determined on five host plants; cabbage, cotton, pepper, pigweed, and sunflower. Three key statistics were used to assess performance of S. exigua on the different host plants: feeding index (pupal weight divided by total weight of leaf tissue consumed), intrinsic rate of natural increase of the population, and growth index (percentage immature survival divided by immature development time). Using these measures, beet armyworm performance was best on pigweed and worst on cabbage. Beet armyworm females were significantly deterred from laying eggs on cabbage and sunflower, while pigweed and cotton elicited a positive oviposition preference. Pepper tended to be neutral and slightly unattractive. We discuss the implications of these findings for control of S. exigua.