Host Range of the Black Cutworm on Vegetables: A Bibliography

Abstract

The black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), has been reported as a serious pest of vegetables from at least 19 countries on 5 continents. The larval stages are notorious for severing the basal stems of vegetable seedlings and sets and for causing severe damage to underground roots and tubers. Cutworm damage is most likely to occur when vegetables are planted in land formerly in grasslands, pasture or meadow. Following cultivation, the cutworms are deprived of their natural foods and voraciously attack the newly set vegetable plants or emerging seedlings.