Green Cloverworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations in Conventional and Double-Crop, No-Till Soybeans1

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Abstract
Plathypena scabra (F.) populations were monitored for 3 years in conventionally tilled soybeans planted on different dates and in soybeans planted without tillage into the stubble left after wheat harvest to determine if egg or larval populations were affected by these different planting practices. Oviposition by moths occurred at the study site throughout the soybean growing season; however, peaks in egg numbers and resultant larval populations were asynchronous in soybeans planted on different dates. Larval populations usually increased rapidly as the soybeans began to flower, peaked during full bloom to late pod-set, and began to decline during early pod-fill. A higher level of egg or larval mortality was observed in double-crop, no-till soybeans than in conventionally planted soybeans; however, no consistent relationship was detected between this higher level of mortality and the incidence of parasites or pathogens.