Elasmopalpus Research Articles

Progress in the Development of Tissue Culture and Transformation Methods Applicable to the Production of Transgenic Peanut

Abstract Genetic engineering is a tool for crop improvement that extends our access to beneficial traits beyond sexuallycompatible crosses. Genes from virtually any organism can be cloned and introduced into peanut. Gene function can be influenced by the regulatory elements used to control expression aswell as the genome context of the integration site(s) where one or multiple copies of the trans genes are inserted. Methods for the production of transgenic peanut (Arachishypogaea L.) that are based on biological or direct DNA transfer have been developed over the last decade. The most reliable method for the introduction of foreign DNA is microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic tissue cultures. With the use of a selectable marker gene for hygromycin resistance, transgenic plants can be recovered in 12-14 mo. Transgenic peanuts resistant to the lesser cornstalk borer have been produced with the objective of reducing aflatoxin contamination by decreasing insect damage to developing pods. The future application of this tool to increase pest resistance and enhance quality traits in peanut has enormous potential.

Field evaluation of soybean engineered with a synthetic cry1Ac transgene for resistance to corn earworm, soybean looper, velvetbean caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and lesser cornstalk borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

A transgenic line of the soybean 'Jack', Glycine max (L.) Merrill, expressing a synthetic cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis variety kurstaki (Jack-Bt), was evaluated for resistance to four lepidopteran pests in the field. Jack-Bt and genotypes serving as susceptible and resistant controls were planted in field cages and artificially infested with larvae of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner), in 1996, 1997, and 1998, and also with soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), in 1996. Susceptible controls included Jack (1996-1998), 'Cobb' (1996), and Jack-HPH (1996). GatIR 81-296 was used as the resistant control in all 3 yr. Compared with untransformed Jack, Jack-Bt showed three to five times less defoliation from corn earworm and eight to nine times less damage from velvetbean caterpillar. Defoliation of GatIR 81-296 was intermediate between that of Jack and Jack-Bt for corn earworm, and similar to that of Jack for velveltbean caterpillar. Jack-Bt exhibited significant, but lower resistance to soybean looper. Jack-Bt also showed four times greater resistance than Jack to natural infestations of lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), in conventional field plots at two locations in 1998. Data from these experiments suggest that expression of this cry1Ac construct in soybean should provide adequate levels of resistance to several lepidopteran pests under field conditions.

Augmentation of Southern Stem Rot in Peanuts by Larval Feeding of the Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Studies were done on both greenhouse- and field-grown peanuts to determine if feeding on the root-hypocotyl region of the plant by the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), augments the occurrence of southern stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo. Peanuts were grown in the greenhouse with and without infestation with S. rolfsii sclerotia and E. lignosellus larvae. Only plants grown in soil infested with sclerotia developed southern stem rot; all plants infested with lesser cornstalk borer larvae were damaged at the root-hypocotyl region. Southern stem rot incidence was consistently greatest in the plants infested with both sclerotia and larvae. In addition, lesser cornstalk borer damage to the root-hypocotyl region of peanut plants was simulated in the field for 7 consecutive weeks (treatment dates) in 1993 and for 8 weeks in 1994. Each artificially damaged plant was paired with an adjacent undamaged plant control. Fifty pairs of plants were damaged each week. Incidence of southern stem rot was assessed at the end of the growing season and was consistently greater in damaged plants than in undamaged plants. These results indicate that damage to peanut plants, such as that caused by feeding of the lesser cornstalk borer, increases the occurrence of southern stem rot.

Comparação de dietas artificiais, contendo diferentes fontes de ácidos graxos, para criação de Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Comparou-se dietas artificiais para a criação de Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), com diferentes fontes protéicas, utilizando fontes alternativas de ácidos graxos [óleos de linhaça (Linum usitatissimun) de colza (Brassica campestris) e de girassol (Helianthus annuus)]. Os insetos foram criados por cinco gerações sucessivas, em câmaras climatizadas a 30 ± 0,5 °C, 60 ± 10% UR e fotofase de 14 h, sendo analisada a duração e a viabilidade do período lagarta-adulto; a duração dos períodos de pré-oviposição e oviposição; o número de ovos por fêmea e a longevidade; a partir destes dados foram confeccionadas tabelas de vida de fertilidade. Verificou-se que os óleos de colza e girassol podem ser utilizados como fonte de ácidos graxos, na dieta à base de milho Zea mays cv. 'Opaco', levedura de cerveja e germe-de-trigo (Triticum aestivum) nas quais E. lignosellus apresentou desempenho semelhante ao observado na dieta padrão contendo ácido linoléico.

Expression of a Bacillus thuringiensis cryIA(c) gene in transgenic peanut plants and its efficacy against lesser cornstalk borer.

The invasion of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) pods and seeds by aflatoxin-forming species of Aspergillus is linked to injury by the lesser cornstalk borer and frequently causes a severe reduction in crop quality. The lesser cornstalk borer is susceptible to the lepidopteran-active Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal crystal protein. We have introduced a codon-modified Bacillus thuringiensis cryIA(c) gene into peanut using microprojectile bombardment. The toxin-coding region of a Bt cryIA(c) gene was reconstructed for expression in plants and the resulting 3.4 kb gene cassette (promoter: 1.8 kb coding: 3') was directly cloned into the BglII site of plant transformation vectors. The vectors contained the hph gene, conferring resistance to the antibiotic hygromycin. Somatic embryos initiated from immature peanut cotyledons of two cultivars were used as the target for bombardment. DNA from hygromycin-resistant embryogenic cell lines, regenerated plants, and a progeny plant showed the presence and integration of hph and Bt genes by PCR and/or Southern blot analyses. ELISA immunoassay of the CryIA(c) protein from the hygromycin-selected plants showed the expression of CryIA(c) protein up to 0.18% of total soluble protein. Insect feeding bioassay of transformed plants indicated various levels of resistance to the lesser cornstalk borer, from complete larval mortality to a 66% reduction in larval weight. A negative correlation between percent survival or larval weight and the amount of Bt CryIA(c) protein was recorded indicating in general that the higher the protein level the lower the survival or larval weight of the insect. Based on leaf bioassay, transformation of peanut with vectors containing the Bt cryIA(c) gene may be effective in protecting the peanut plants from damage by lepidopteran insect larvae of lesser cornstalk borer.

Impact of Row Spacing and Planting Date on the Canopy Environment, Abundance of Lesser Cornstalk Borer and Other Arthropods, and Incidence of Aflatoxigenic Fungi in Peanuts

Abstract Three row spacings and two planting dates for peanuts, Arachis hypogaea L., were examined in 1993 and 1994 to determine the influence of the canopy environment on lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), other arthropods, and alflatoxigenic fungi. Climatically, 1993 and 1994 were disparate years. Decreasing row spacing increased relative leaf area and light interception by the canopy but, compared to difference between planting dates or years, had a relatively small impact on soil temperatures and relative humidity within the canopy. Late planting produced smaller plants, retarded canopy development, and reduced yield in both years, but especially in 1993 when it was hot and dry. The wide row spacing did not yield as well as twin and normal row spacings in either year. Lesser cornstalk borer damage and aflatoxin concentration were higher in the late planting than in the early planting of 1993, but were unaffected by row spacing. Fewer predatory arthropods were caught as row spacing decreased in both beat and pitfall samples, but planting date had variable effects. Prevailing climatic conditions and planting date appeared to be more important in influencing the canopy environment and pest densities than was row spacing.

Soil-Borne Pests of Peanut in Growers' Fields with Different Cropping Histories in Alabama1

Abstract Pest levels and yields of peanut were monitored in growers' fields in 1991 through 1993. Yields ranged from 2085 to 6440 kg/ha and averaged 3947 kg/ha over the 3 yr. Incidence of southern stem rot (SSR) (caused by Sclerotium rolfsii) averaged 7.6 foci (up to 30 cm in length) per 30.5 m row and ranged from 0 to 31.0 foci. Peanut yield tended to be inversely related to incidence of SSR and directly related to the number of years between peanut crops. Incidence of SSR was inversely related to number of years between peanut crops and was consistently greater in fields cropped to peanut every other year compared to other fields with less intensive peanut production. Yields obtained from irrigated fields averaged 11.4% greater than those without irrigation. Leaf spot control programs used by growers provided consistent levels of control. Peanut seed invasion by aflatoxigenic fungi and plant damage by larvae of the lesser cornstalk borer (Elasmopalus lignosellus) generally were low. Seed invasion by Aspergillus flavus-type fungi was positively correlated (P < 0.05) with damage due to lesser cornstalk borer in 1993. Juvenile populations of root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) were positively correlated (P < 0.001) with incidence of SSR in 1992.

Toxicity of Purified Proteins and the HD-1 Strain from Bacillus thuringiensis Against Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Toxicity of cryIA(a), cryIA(b), CryIA(c), CryIC, and CryIIA proteins, and the HD-1 strain of Bacillus thuringiensis was determined against neonate lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), in diet incorporation bioassays. CryIIA was the most toxic of the individual proteins with an LC 50 (micrograms protein per gram diet) of 1.94. The LC 50 (micrograms protein per gram diet) for the HD-1 strain that contains all of the above mentioned proteins except CryIC was 5.46. The toxicity of CryIIA and the HD-1 strain suggests that these compounds could be used to efficaciously control E. lignosellus in peanut fields either in typical ground applications, or in the case of CryIIA, be overexpressed in other organisms such as plants or plant-colonizing bacteria.

New Distribution and Host-Range Records for Apanteles deplanatus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Parasite of Diatraea considerata and D. magnifactella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in Mexico

Abstract Apanteles deplanatus Muesebeck is a gregarious endoparasite of Diatraea considerata (Heinrich) from sugarcane and Diatraea magnifactella Dyar from sugarcane and corn in southern Mexico. Apanteles deplanatus was not reared from the stalkboring pyralids Diatraea grandiosella Dyar, Diatraea lineolata (Walker), Diatraea muellerella Dyar & Heinrich, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), Elasmopalpus lignosellus Zeller, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), or Xubida rutubella Schaus collected from the same agricultural habitats as the pyralid hosts that were successfully parasitized by A. deplanatus . Field-collected middle-to late-instar host larvae produced parasites; small hosts (first two larval instars) did not produce A. deplanatus . Average brood size was 107 individuals and ranged from 35 to 204. Overall, 85% of a brood was female, although some broods were >87% male. The number of female progeny was correlated with brood size, but the number of male progeny was independent of brood size averaging 12 males per brood. Apanteles deplanatus was known previously from the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit; its known range is now expanded across southern Mexico to include the states of Colima, Michoacan, Morelos, Puebla, and Veracruz. Natural mortality of D. considerata and D. magnifactella in corn and sugarcane could be enhanced by expanding the distribution of A. deplanatus to coincide with the distribution of its hosts. Possibilities for colonizing A. deplanatus for biological control of noncoevolved stalkborers is discussed.

Comportamento de fêmeas de Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) associado à liberação de feromônio sexual

The behaviour of Elasmopalpus lignosellus associated to sex pheromone release was studied at 25 ± 1°C and 72 ± 2% RH, under a 14L: 10D photoperiod. Seventy per cent of the females started sex pheromone release two nights following emergence. The calling behaviour was limited to the last half of scotophase, initiating around the fifth hour and continuing until the end of the night. The mean onset of calling time changed with female age. Older females called earlier than younger afier the onset of scotophase. This change in the onset of calling was accompanied by an increase in total time calling. Older females spent more time in calling behaviour. It was observed that calling behaviour is governed by a circadian rhythrn. KEY WORDS: Insecta, calling behaviour, circadian rhythrn, photoperiod.

INFLUÊNCIA DE SISTEMAS DE MANEJO DE SOLOS E DE CULTURAS SOBRE INSETOS SUBTERRÂNEOS

RESUMO Avaliou-se a influência de sistemas de manejo de solos e de culturas sobre insetos subterrâneos, em Cruz Alta, RS, de fevereiro de 1987 a agosto de 1990. Amostras de solo foram coletadas mensalmente e os insetos separados e identificados. Observou-se maior número de insetos no sistema de plantio direto (SMPD), com 62,0% do total. Larvas de elaterídeos, Acrolophus sp., Diloboderus abderus e Pantomorus sp., além de adultos de Ataenius sp., Blapstinus punctulatus e Cyrtomenus mirabilis, ocorreram com maior freqüência no SMPD, enquanto que larvas de Diabrotica speciosa e Elasmopalpus lignosellus foram mais freqüentes no sistema de plantio convencional (SMC). Notou-se maior número de insetos no sistema de manejo cultural soja-soja-milho do que soja contínua, com 58,7% do total, e trigo-aveia-ervilhaca em relação a trigo contínuo e trigo-aveia, com 35,9%, devido ao elevado percentual de freqüência de larvas de Diabrotica speciosa nestes dois sistemas de culturas.

Development of a System To Time Scouting for the Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Attacking Peanuts in the Southeastern United States

We developed a system to time scouting for the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), in conventionally planted and tilled fields of peanut, Arachis hypogaea (L.). The system used borer-days (BD) to predict when to scout for the damaging larval stage. Borer-days was patterned after degree-days and is a running total of hot and dry weather minus cooler and wetter weather during the growing season. Number of borer-days explained 67% of the variance in the density of E. lignosellus larvae during the 1986 population outbreak in Alabama and Georgia. We calculated the number of borer-days for the past 9 yr and found that borer-days reached >10 in the outbreak years of 1980, 1986, and 1990 but never reached this value in years when E. ligllosellus did not achieve outbreak densities. Applying a granular insecticide at 0 to + 10 BD increased yield compared with yield in untreated plots. Yields did not increase when a granular insecticide was applied at <;0 BD. Borer-days can be a valuable tool in predicting when to scout for this insect.

Relationship of Damage from the Lesser Cornstalk Borer to Aspergillus flavus Contamination in Peanuts2

The ability of larvae of the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), to augment contamination of peanut pods with aflatoxigenic fungi, Aspergillus flavus Link and A. parasiticus Speare (A. flavus-type fungi), was investigated in laboratory and field studies. Aflatoxigenic fungi were found in or on frass from 28.6% of field-collected larvae and in 8.9% of sterilized and macerated larvae. More aflatoxigenic fungi tended to be found in pods from untreated plots than in plots treated with chlorpyrifos in field trials. Contamination of pods or seeds with A. flavus-type fungi was positively correlated in all four trials with scarification of pods, and this relationship has been quantified. Since appropriate insecticide treatments can decrease populations of lesser cornstalk borers, which would decrease pod scarification, these same treatments may decrease contamination with aflatoxigenic fungi. Treatment thresholds for the lesser cornstalk borer need to be reconsidered based upon this information.

Insect Radar Cross-sections for Aerial Density Measurements and Target Classification

Radar cross-sections (RCS) of adults of six insect species were measured with a high-resolution radar for selected aspect angles and polarization angles. These data were fit to transcendental equations relating RCS to aspect angle or polarization angle. Insect weight ranged from 256 mg to 10 mg for Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, respectively. Radar cross-sections varied from 3 cm2 to 5 10-4 cm2 for an Apis mellifera (L.) queen and Elasmopalpus lignosellus, respectively. An example illustrates how mean RCS and polarization modulation can be used to develop an insect classification system. The results suggest that appropriately measured RCS properties can be used with altitude, time of flight, wing beating rate, flight direction, and true airspeed to define a classification system. Classification of radar targets could provide an estimate of the proportion of targets that have properties similar to a specific species.

Effects of Five Granular Insecticides on the Abundance of Selected Arthropod Pests and Predators in Peanut Fields

The effects on nontarget arthropods of five granular insecticides applied at flowering time to control the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), were compared in a 2-yr field study in conventionally planted and tilled ‘Sunrunner’ peanuts. Insecticides used were chlorpyrifos 15 G (15% granular), ethoprop 15 G, fonophos 10 G, Fortress 10 G, terbufos 15 G, and an untreated control. Beat sheets were used to sample weekly for arthropods inhabiting the canopy, and pitfall traps were used to sample for epigaeic (soil-surface dwelling) arthropods. Samples were taken for at least 5 wk after treatment. The applications of granular insecticides had very transitory effects on populations of secondary pests such as the com earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and fall amlywoml, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and no effect on populations of predaceous hemipterans. No consistent evidence of effects on secondary pests was noted. Abundance of three of the four groups of epigaeic predators that were monitored declined in some of the treated plots for as long as 1 mo. This underscores the need for timely applications of granular insecticides based on scouting.

Efficacy of Selected Granular Insecticides in Soil in ‘Florunner’ Peanut Fields to Larvae of Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Survival of lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignose/lus (Zeller), larvae in soil from conventionally tilled and planted ‘Florunner’ peanut, Arachis hypogaea L., fields treated with selected granular insecticides at pegging was evaluated in Alabama and Florida in 1988 and 1989. Insecticides tested were chlorpyrifos, fonofos, butathiofos, ethoprop, tefluthrin, terbufos, and Fortress (O, O-diethyl O-1,2,2,2,2, tetrachlorethyl phosphorothioate). Survival of lesser cornstalk borer larvae in untreated soil was 84.8 ± 2.1% (x ± SEM). Chlorpyrifos and fonofos significantly reduced larval survival compared with larval survival in soil from untreated plots 5-14 d after application in all four experiments. They were also the only insecticides that reduced larval survival at 25-28 d after application in three of the four experiments. Chlorpyrifos was the only insecticide that was effective for> 14 d in all four experiments. The length of effectiveness of chlorpyrifos, as indicated by laboratory bioassay, ranged from 19 to 67 d after treatment.

Enhanced Infection of Peanut, Arachis hypogaea L., Seeds With Aspergillus flavus Group Fungi Due to External Scarification of Peanut Pods by the Lesser Cornstalk Borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller)1

Abstract The relationship between injury by the lesser cornstalk borer (LCB), Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), and invasion of peanut, Arachis hypogaea L., pods and seeds by species of the Aspergillus flavus group (A. flavus Link and A. parasiticus Speare) were studied under laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory, LCB larvae were an excellent vector of an A. parasiticus color mutant (ATCC 24690) to all developmental stages of peanut pods. Fungal invasion and aflatoxin concentration in seeds were higher in immature pods (stage 2–3) than in more mature pods (stage 4–6). Contamination of seeds with ATCC 24690 was directly related to the extent of pod injury by larvae of the LCB. In field studies, over 50% of the LCB larvae collected from peanut were naturally contaminated with species of the A. flavus group. The planting date and harvest date of peanut had little influence on the incidence of fungal contamination of pods and seeds, or on aflatoxin content in seeds. However, increased pod injury by the LCB significantly increased the percentage of seeds infected with species of the A. flavus group. Seeds in pods with only external scarification from larval feeding had a significantly higher percentage of A. flavus group infection than seeds from uninjured pods. Therefore, infection and contamination of visibly uninjured seeds with aflatoxigenic fungi were enhanced by external injury to peanut pods by the LCB.

Predicting Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larval Density From Estimates of Adult Abundance in Peanut Fields

The abundance of larvae and adults of the lesser cornstalk borer was monitored in conventionally tilled and planted Florunner peanuts at the Wiregrass Experiment Substation in Headland, Ala. from 1984 to 1986. Larval abundance was monitored by soil sieving ca. weekly throughout the growing season. The abundance of adults was monitored weekly by flushing male and female moths from rows by beating plants with a stick. Regression was used to determine if adults in week ‘i’ can explain the variation in larval abundance in week ‘i + 1,’ over the three years of observation. The mean number of larvae from week ‘i + 1’ increased linearly with an increase in adult flush counts from week ‘i’ (P &amp;lt; 0.0001, r2 = 0.91), indicating that larval density could be predicted by adult abundance. The resulting equation had an intercept that was not significantly different from zero (P = 0.29) and a slope of 12.66 ± 0.88 (P &amp;lt; 0.0001), indicating that about 13 larvae/meter can be expected to be found one week later for each adult/meter flushed. Observations from five separate peanut fields were taken in 1990 to determine if adult counts do reflect larval abundance as predicted by the regression equation. Means from four of five model validation fields fell within the 95% confidence limits for the regression equation, indicating excellent agreement with the field data. This equation could be a significant addition to management of the lesser cornstalk borer, because the use of adult flush counts allows for the prediction of damaging and difficult to sample larval populations before they occur.

Evaluation of Granular Insecticides for Control of Lesser Cornstalk Borer in Irrigated and Unirrigated Tropical Corn, and in Two Levels of Soil Ph in Peanuts, 1990

Abstract Granular treatments were applied to conventionally tilled and planted fields of tropical corn and peanuts in sandy loam soil at the Wiregrass Experiment Substation at Headland, Ala. Four replicates of 3 treatments and an untreated control were planted in a randomized complete block design for tropical corn, and 4 replicates of 4 treatments and an untreated control were planted in a randomized complete block design for peanuts. Treatments were applied to fields with a single-row, small-plot, granular applicator in a 7-inch band over the row. A liquid methyl parathion treatment was applied to the foliage in peanuts weekly for 4 consecutive wk using a boom sprayer with 1 hollow cone nozzle per row at 40 psi and delivering 8 gal/acre. Tropical corn plots were 12 rows wide (36-inch row spacing) × 60 ft long, and treatments were applied to both fields at emergence (13 Jun). One field was irrigated on 2 Jun (pre-planting) and at 15 and 47 DAT with a center pivot irrigation system. The other field was not irrigated. Granular treatments were applied to peanuts at flowering (27 Jun) on the two fields with differing pH. Plots were 6 rows wide (36-inch row spacing) and 50 ft long. A soil sample was taken at 0, 6, 13, 20, 34 and 50 DAT from tropical corn plots and at 0, 6, 13, 28 and 43 DAT in peanuts. Each soil sample (12-inch wide × 4-inch long × 1-inch deep) consisted of 3 subsamples from within each plot, and sampled areas were flagged to prevent resampling. Soil samples were returned to the laboratory and refrigerated until processed. Soil from each treatment was air dried to &amp;lt;1.0% moisture and placed in 1-oz plastic cups to a depth of 0.5 inch. Larvae were placed in cups and artificial insect diet was provided as a food source. Efficacy of pesticides was evaluated by exposing 27 first-instar lesser cornstalk borer larvae (3 replicates times 3 cups per replicate times 3 larvae per cup) to each treatment. At the end of 72 h exposure, living and dead insects were counted.

Egg Production and Adult Longevity of Spodoptera frugiperda, Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on Selected Adult Diets

Survival and egg production data were collected for females of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), fall armyworm; Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), corn earworm; and Elasmopalpus lignosellus Zeller, lesser cornstalk borer, maintained on one of eight adult diets, two honey solution diets, sucrose solution, Gatorade, three beer diets, and water. Moth performance on beer was either equal to or less than that on the other diets. Corn earworm, one of two species fed a premium beer diet performed better than those on a lower cost beer. The addition of ascorbic acid to beer or of yeast to honey, generally did not influence moth performance. Moth performance was good on Gatorade, a moderately priced diet, and best on honey or sucrose diets. Consistently, moth survival was prolonged and egg production was high for moths on the low cost honey diet (8.4 days, 254 eggs per day, and 2375 eggs per female fall armyworm; 8.3 days, 241 eggs per day, and 1835 eggs per female corn earworm; 5.0 days, 26 eggs per day, and 122 eggs per female lesser cornstalk borer). Likewise, performance by the lesser cornstalk borer was good on sucrose, which is also a low cost diet.