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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sunflower and Plant Biology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #254553
Title: Banded Sunflower Moth

Author
item KNODEL, JANET - North Dakota State University
item Charlet, Laurence

Submitted to: North Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Bulletin
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/3/2010
Publication Date: 5/15/2010
Citation: Knodel, J.J., Charlet, L.D. 2010. Banded Sunflower Moth. North Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Bulletin E-823. 8 p.

Interpretive Summary: The banded sunflower moth is an important insect pest of cultivated sunflower causing yield loss because of larval destruction of seeds in the head. Eggs are laid on the surface of the bracts surrounding the sunflower head. Larvae develop through five stages within the heads and are present in sunflower fields from mid-July to mid-September. Larvae begin feeding on the bracts, then on pollen and the disk flowers within the head and finally consume the immature and mature seeds. After reaching maturity, the larvae drop to the ground below the sunflower plant and spin cocoons in the soil where they pass the winter. The paper describes the banded sunflower moth's life stages, life history, crop damage, distribution, economic injury levels, monitoring procedures, timing of control applications, and different pest management methods. Detailed sampling procedures using diagrams and pictures are presented based on both egg and adult sampling. Charts also are provided for determining the economic injury levels for different egg and moth densities based on plant population, treatment costs, and sunflower market price.

Technical Abstract: The banded sunflower moth, Cochylis hospes Walsingham, is an important insect pest of cultivated sunflower. Eggs are deposited on the bracts of sunflower heads. Larvae develop through five instars within the heads and are present in fields from mid-July to mid-September. Larvae feed initially on the bracts, pollen and the disk flowers and finally the immature and mature seeds. After feeding to maturity, larvae drop to the soil below the plant and spin cocoons in the soil where they overwinter. There is one generation per year in North Dakota and the upper Great Plains. The paper describes the banded sunflower moth's life stages, life cycle, crop damage, distribution, economic injury levels, monitoring procedures, timing of control applications, and other management practices. Detailed sampling procedures using diagrams and pictures are presented based on both egg and adult sampling. Charts also are provided for determining the economic injury levels for different egg and moth densities based on treatment costs, plant population, and sunflower market price.