Host Plant Suitability and Feeding Preferences of the Grapevine Pest Abagrotis orbis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Thirteen plant species were tested for their suitability as hosts for Abagrotis orbis (Grote), a climbing cutworm pest of grapevines in British Columbia. Choice tests were also conducted to investigate larval feeding preferences for the Brassicaceae species joi choi, Brassica rapa variety. Chinensis L., spring draba; Draba verna L.; and shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik; compared with postdormant buds of grape, Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae), and leaves of nine other plant species from several families. Results showed that tah tsai, Brassica rapa L. variety rosularis (M. Tsen & S. H. Lee) Hanelt (Brassicaceae), is a superior host for A. orbis based on shorter time to adult eclosion, heavier pupae, and higher rates of survival. Later-instar larvae died when fed draba, whereas those reared on shepherd's purse did not survive beyond the third instar. White clover, Trifolium repens L. (Fabaceae), and grape leaves were unsuitable hosts throughout development. Fifth-instar A. orbis preferred plants of the Brassicaceae family, dandelion, Taraxacum officinale Weber (Asteraceae), and strawberry, Fragaria sp. L. (Rosaceae), compared with postdormant grape buds. The results of this study suggest that the winter annual mustards draba and shepherd's purse that often grow abundantly in vine rows might help reduce climbing cutworm damage to the buds of grapevines.

Insecticide Susceptibility of Three Species of Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Pests of Grapes

“…Bok Choy plants were either greenhouse or Þeld grown. Bok Choy was used for these assays instead of grape leaves because Bok Choy has been shown to be a good food source and supports cutworm development to adulthood; although they feed on postdormant buds of grapevines, all three species of cutworms used in these experiments are unable to complete development when reared on grape leaves (Mostafa et al 2011;authorÕs unpublished results). Leaf disks (22 mm in diameter), cut using a #14 cork borer, were dipped in insecticide solutions and allowed to dry.…”

Determination of Biological Properties of Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

“…Host preference and feeding suitability for pest insects varies regarding survival rates, number of instars and continuous reproduction (Saeed et al, 2010;Talekar and Shelton, 1993). Nutrition levels of host plants especially protein contents are important and also effect the durations of biological stages, growth and fecundity in the laboratory (Mostafa et al, 2011;Renwick and Radke, 1990). This study showed that the diamondback moth larvae grow faster and complete their development faster with the highest fecundity on cauliflower than broccoli and white cabbage.…”

The entomology of vineyards in Canada

“…This includes improvements to monitoring and forecasting (Landolt et al 2009), evaluation of the efficacy of novel insecticides (Smirle et al 2013), and nonchemical approaches. The presence in spring of Capsella bursa-pastoris (Linnaeus) Medikus, and some other species of the Brassicaceae is correlated with a reduction in cutworm damage to grape buds (Mostafa et al 2011). Eighteen species of cutworm, mostly belonging to the genus Abagrotis Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), have now been identified feeding on grapevines in British Columbia (Lowery and Mostafa 2010), with additional species soon to be added to the list (T.L., personal observation).…”