Oviposition Site Preference by the Tomato Fruitworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Tomato, with Notes on Plant Phenologyl
- 1 October 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Economic Entomology
- Vol. 75 (5) , 895-898
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/75.5.895
Abstract
Egg counts were made to determine preferred oviposition sites of Heliothis zea (Boddie) on the tomato cultivars ‘VF-J98’ under field cage conditions and ‘VF-198’ and ‘Campbell 82’ under natural conditions. A phenological study of tomato was used to establish an age basis for vegetative and fruiting structures. Moths demonstrated a highly significant preference for oviposition on leaves rather than on blooms, fruit, or stems. No preference was shown for dorsal vs. ventral leaf surfaces. A highly significant relationship existed between proximity of leaves to blooms, with a positive correlation between the number of open flowers and selection of a leaf for oviposition.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- The Relation of Moisture Content of the Cotton Plant to Oviposition by Heliothis armigera (Hbn.) and to Survival of Young Larvae1Journal of Economic Entomology, 1941