The percentage of trap crop plants necessary to make effective a trap crop for diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) in cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. was tested for two potential trap crops: glossy collards, Brassica oleracea var. acephala L. and yellow rocket, Barbarea vulgaris (R. Br.) For each trap crop species, six different treatments (0, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32% of trap crop plants in relation to cabbage) were tested in large screen houses, each containing 25 plants. DBM adults were released from opposite sides of the screen house at a rate of 1.5 DBM per plant. Three days later, the numbers of DBM eggs on each plant type were counted. The experiment was replicated three times for each trap crop species. The results indicated that there were significantly more eggs laid on the trap crop than on cabbage. This experiment should provide guidance in determining the percentage of the field that needs to be planted with a trap crop in order to make it effective for managing DBM.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Plutellidae Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth)
Keywords: trap crop
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