The fall armyworm (FAW) migrates northward from overwintering refuge areas in south Florida each spring after building up large populations on volunteer corn and sorghum-Sudangrass. These plants are grown as green manure cover crops following harvest of winter vegetables. Several experiments were designed to determine if sunnhemp or cowpeas could be used as alternative cover crops to reduce fall armyworm population densities. Field studies showed high numbers of larvae collected from corn and sorghum-Sudangrass, with no larvae collected in plots of sunnhemp and cowpeas. Parasitism was highest from larvae collected in corn. Laboratory larval feeding studies compared the four plants in choice and non-choice bioassays. FAW larvae developed faster and reached pupation sooner on corn and cowpeas than sorghum-Sudangrass and sunnhemp. Choice tests were variable and showed no clear preference. Ovipositional tests showed FAW females laid eggs on all hosts.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Noctuidae Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm)
Keywords: ovipositional preference, larval feeding
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