Phenology and Dispersion Patterns of Larval Lesser Cornstalk Borers (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Grain Sorghum in North Florida

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Abstract
Two 1982 and three 1983 double-cropped grain sorghum fields were each sampled on seven to nine dates to determine larval phenology and distribution of the lesser cornstalk borer (LCB), Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller). Sampling consisted of in-field searches of the plant and upper soil habitat. Precision of the sampling procedure was moderate to good. Temporal changes in magnitude and age structure of the larval populations provided evidence that one to three generations occurred in the fields. Each field was infested during vegetative crop-growth stages by LCB larvae. Injuries resulted either in stand losses or damaged plants. Larval populations of an additional one to two generations occurred during reproductive crop-growth stages in most of the fields. Many plants were damaged, but few died from damages inflicted by larvae from the later generations. Dispersion statistics of mean/variance ratio, standardized Morisita's index, and Taylor's power law were calculated for larval sample estimates, and populations were aggregated in all fields on most dates.