Flight and oviposition behavior toward different host plant species by the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Polyphagous moths have a wide range of potential host plants but they are nonetheless selective in choice of host plants (Bernays and Chapman, 1994). The cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae (L.), is such a species. Its known food plants include more than 70 species in 22 families, of which Brassicaceae and Chenopodiaceae are among the most preferred (Popova, 1993). This moth is particularly associated with Brassica crops but alternative hosts of M. brassicae include lettuce, beet, onion, potato, pea, tomato, apple, chrysanthemum, beech, and oak (Bretherton et al., 1979; Carter, 1984). We investigated the orientation and oviposition behavior of M. brassicae on the reportedly most preferred host, cabbage (Bretherton et al., 1979), and two other host plants, tomato and chrysanthemum. An understanding of these behaviors could help establish appropriate conditions for future studies-for example, on chemical identification of plant semiochemicals mediating host finding of the cabbage moth.
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Texto biblioteca |
Language: | eng |
Subjects: | Mamestra brassicae, Oviposición, Lepidópteros, Comportamiento de los insectos, Plantas huéspedes, |
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