The ovipositional preference of the diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) was tested on four hosts: cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.; collards, Brassica oleracea var. acephala L.; Indian mustard, Brassica juncea; and yellow rocket, Barbarea vulgaris (R. Br.). Experiments were conducted in a large screen house in which nine consecutive plants of the same host type were positioned in each of four arcs of a circle. A total of 54 DBM adults (1.5 per plant) were released in the center of the circle. Three days later, the number of DBM eggs on each plant was counted. The experiment was replicated nine times. The mean number of eggs laid on B. juncea was significantly greater than the number laid on B. vulgaris and significantly fewer eggs were laid on the B. oleracea varieties. In another screen house test, ovipositional preference was compared between cabbage and each of the other hosts in a series of two-host-choice tests. Results indicated that significantly more eggs were laid on these other hosts than on cabbage. Differences in oviposition did not seem to be due neither to differences in leaf area nor plant architecture because further ovipositional two-choice experiments in plastic tubes, in which the moths were exposed to similar areas (6.4 cm2) of the abaxial sides of leaves, confirmed the previous results. Further research is needed to examine DBM ovipositional preference in the field before selecting the optimal trap crop.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Plutellidae Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth)
Keywords: oviposition
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