Moth Mamestra Brassicae Research Articles

Eco-Geographical and Botanical Patterns of Resistance to Lepidoptera Insects in Brassica rapa L.

In the context of the widespread expansion of damage by herbivorous pests of Brassica crops, taking into account the requirements for minimizing pesticide pollution of the environment, it is important to have fundamental knowledge of the geographical features of the distribution of pests and about the botanical confinement of plant resistance in order to develop a strategy for creating new Brassica cultivars with complex resistance to insects. The relevance of our work is related to the study of the variability in the degree of resistance of the extensive genetic diversity of Brassica rapa accessions to the main herbivorous pests of Brassica crops in contrasting ecological and geographical zones of the Russian Federation (Arctic, northwestern, and southern zones). We have studied the distribution and food preferences of Lepidoptera insects (diamondback moth Plutella xylostella and cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae) on a set of 100 accessions from the VIR B. rapa collection (Chinese cabbage, pakchoi, wutacai, zicaitai, mizuna, and leaf and root turnips) in the field in three zones of the Russian Federation. We have found that the diamondback moth and cabbage moth are largely harmful in three zones of the European part of the Russian Federation, although the degree of damage to plants by these insects varies by year of cultivation. On average, for the set studied during the two years of the experiment, the degree of plant damage by both pests in the Arctic zone was low and almost low, and in the northwestern and southern zones, it was medium. It was noted that diamondback moth damage was greater in the northwestern zone in both years and in the southern and Arctic zones in 2021, while in 2022, the degree of cabbage moth damage was slightly higher in the southern and Arctic zones. Under the conditions of field diamondback moth damage, the accessions of Chinese cabbage, wutacai, and mizuna turned out to be the most resistant (the damage score was 1.92-1.99), whereas the accessions of wutacai and pakchoi were the most resistant to the cabbage moth (the damage score was 1.62-1.78). A high variability in the degree of resistance of Brassica crops to Lepidoptera insects from complete resistance to susceptibility was revealed. We have identified sources of resistance to insects, including complex resistance in all study areas, among landraces and some modern cultivars of Chinese cabbage, pakchoi, wutacai, and mizuna from Japan and China, as well as European turnips. The highest susceptibility to pests in the studied set was noted in the accession of root turnip "Hinona" (k-1422, USA) (average damage score of 3.24-3.53 points). We were not able to establish the morphological features of resistant plants or the geographical confinement of the origin of resistance of B. rapa crop accessions.

Hypersensitive-like response in Brassica plants is specifically induced by molecules from egg-associated secretions of cabbage white butterflies

Plants perceive and respond to herbivore insect eggs. Upon egg deposition on leaves, a strong hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death can be activated leading to egg desiccation and/or dropping. In Brassica spp., including many crops, the HR-like mechanism against eggs of cabbage white butterflies (Pieris spp.) is poorly understood. Using two Brassica species, the crop B. rapa and its wild relative B. nigra, we studied the cellular and molecular plant response to Pieris brassicae eggs and characterized potential insect egg-associated molecular patterns (EAMPs) inducing HR-like cell death. We found that eggs of P. brassicae induced typical hallmarks of early immune responses, such as callose deposition, production of reactive oxygen species and cell death in B. nigra and B. rapa leaf tissue, also in plants that did not express HR-like cell death. However, elevated levels of ethylene production and upregulation of salicylic acid-responsive genes were only detected in a B. nigra accession expressing HR-like cell death. Eggs and egg wash from P. brassicae contains compounds that induced such responses, but the eggs of the generalist moth Mamestra brassicae did not. Furthermore, wash made from hatched Pieris eggs, egg glue, and accessory reproductive glands (ARG) that produce this glue, induced HR-like cell death, whereas washes from unfertilized eggs dissected from the ovaries or removal of the glue from eggs resulted in no or a reduced response. This suggests that there is one or multiple egg associated molecular pattern (EAMP) located in the egg glue a that teresponse in B. nigra is specific to Pieris species. Lastly, our results indicate that the EAMP is neither lipidic nor proteinaceous. Our study expands the knowledge on the mechanism of Brassica-Pieris-egg interaction and is a step closer toward identification of EAMPs in Pieris egg glue and corresponding receptor(s) in Brassica.

Effectiveness of biological protection of cabbage against pests in the conditions of the Primorsky Territory

The results of the use of entomophages and biological products to regulate the number of cabbage pests (cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae L., cabbage butterfly Pieris brassicae L., turnip butterfly Pieris rapae L., diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L.) are presented. The study was carried out in the Primorsky Territory in 2018-2020. The efficiency of Trichogramma ussuricum Sorokina applications was assessed on cabbage varieties. The effectiveness of the entomophage against the cabbage moth varied from 33.3 to 66.6%, against the turnip butterfly - from 32.6 to 70.2%. In field experiments the effectiveness of biological products Fitoverm EC (0.09 l/ha), Akarin EC (1.6 l/ha), Proclaim WG (0.3 kg/ha), Bitoxibacillin (10 l/ha), Bitoxibacillin P (2 kg/ha), Lepidocid SC (2 l/ha), Lepidocid P (2 kg/ha) against diamondback moth are studied. Cabbage plants were sprayed with the preparations once. Pest counts were carried out before treatment and after treatment on the 5th, 10th and 15th day in accordance with the approved methods. Bioinsecticide Proclaim showed a high efficiency of 93.0-100% on the 5-10th day. The effectiveness of preparations based on aversectin C and avertin N was 65.0-88.6%. Using the biological product Bitoxibacillin and Lepidocid a decrease the number of diamondback moth relative to the control by 61.2-97.5 и 65.0-78.0% was registered.

Differential effects of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae on above‐ and belowground chewing insect herbivores

AbstractPlant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance plant growth and defence. Via plant‐mediated effects, PGPR have been reported to impact the performance of generalist leaf‐chewing insects either negatively or positively. However, only a few insect species, mainly feeding on aboveground tissues, have thus far been investigated. Here, we investigated how addition of rhizobacteria to the soil in which cabbage plants are growing affects the performance of three chewing insect herbivores, two leaf chewers and one root feeder. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew white cabbage (Brassica oleracea) plants in soil supplemented with and without the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r. We investigated the consequences for three important insect pests of Brassica species, larvae of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae, the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, or the cabbage root fly Delia radicum after 5 weeks of plant growth. We recorded aboveground plant biomass, insect biomass, plant defence marker gene expression levels and plant defence‐related hormone concentrations. Rhizobacterial inoculation increased aboveground plant biomass in non‐infested plants but not in infested plants. Rhizobacterial inoculation affected insect performance differently: on PGPR‐inoculated plants biomass of Plutella xylostella was lower, while biomass of Delia radicum was higher than on control plants. However, no effect was found on Mamestra brassicae biomass. Rhizobacterial inoculation increased the expression of the defence marker gene LOX2 in P. xylostella‐infested plants and MYC2 in M. brassicae‐infested plants. Transcription levels of the plant defence marker gene PAL1 showed upregulation between inoculated and non‐inoculated insect‐free plants. Levels of the phytohormones jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and abscisic acid were similar in inoculated and non‐inoculated plants. We conclude that rhizobacterial inoculation has potential to be applied in the protection of cabbage crops against the diamondback moth whereas this does not apply to reducing damage caused by the cabbage moth or cabbage root fly.

Plant traits shape soil legacy effects on individual plant–insect interactions

Plant‐mediated soil legacy effects can be important determinants of the performance of plants and their aboveground insect herbivores, but, soil legacy effects on plant–insect interactions have been tested for only a limited number of host plant species and soils. Here, we tested the performance of a polyphagous aboveground herbivore, caterpillars of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae, on twelve host plant species that were grown on a set of soils conditioned by each of these twelve species. We tested how growth rate (fast‐ or slow‐growing) and functional type (grass or forb) of the plant species that conditioned the soil and of the responding host plant species growing in those soils affect the response of insect herbivores to conditioned soils. Our results show that plants and insect herbivores had lower biomass in soils that were conditioned by fast‐growing forbs than in soils conditioned by slow‐growing forbs. In soils conditioned by grasses, growth rate of the conditioning plant had the opposite effect, i.e. plants and herbivores had higher biomass in soils conditioned by fast‐growing grasses, than in soils conditioned by slow‐growing grasses. We show that the response of aboveground insects to soil legacy effects is strongly positively correlated with the response of the host plant species, indicating that plant vigour may explain these relationships. We provide evidence that soil communities can play an important role in shaping plant–insect interactions aboveground. Our results further emphasize the important and interactive role of the conditioning and the response plant in mediating soil–plant–insect interactions.

Myosuppressin is involved in the regulation of pupal diapause in the cabbage army moth Mamestra brassicae

Diapause, a programmed developmental arrest, is common in insects, enabling them to survive adverse seasons. It is well established that pupal diapause is regulated by ecdysteroids secreted by the prothoracic glands (PGs), with cessation of ecdysteroid secretion after pupal ecdysis leading to pupal diapause. A major factor regulating the gland activity is prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) secreted from the brain. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the cessation of PTTH release after pupal ecdysis resulted in the inactivation of the PGs, leading to pupal diapause in the cabbage army moth Mamestra brassicae. Here we show that a neuropeptide myosuppressin also contributes to the inactivation of PGs at the initiation of diapause. Myosuppressin suppresses PTTH-stimulated activation of the PGs in vitro. Concentrations of myosuppressin in the hemolymph after pupal ecdysis are higher in diapause pupae than in nondiapause pupae.

Efficacy of aqueous extracts of black alder (Alnus glutinosa GAERTN.) and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) in reducing the occurrence of Phyllotreta spp., some lepidopteran pests and diamondback moth parasitoids on white cabbage

AbstractThe insecticidal and antifeedant effects of aqueous extracts from two common plants (black alder Alnus glutinosa and black elderberry Sambucus nigra) on the occurrence of flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.), as well as lepidopteran pests like the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, small white butterfly Pieris rapae, large white butterfly Pieris brassicae, cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae and the Plutella xylostella parasitoid complex were investigated on white cabbage in 2008-2009. Aqueous extracts of black elderberry Sambucus nigra significantly reduced numbers of flea beetles Phyllotreta spp., eggs of Pieris rapae and P. brassicae, and larvae and pupae of Plutella xylostella on the cabbage. The aqueous extract of Alnus glutinosa was less effective. Parasitoids had the greatest impact on reducing numbers of diamondback moth: the dominant species was Diadegma fenestralis. The smallest number of parasitoids was reared from pupae collected from plots where the cabbages had been sprayed with the Sambucus nigra extract.

Biodiversity enhancement and utilization – Pest control in brassicas

In cabbage fields parasitoid wasps ( Hymenoptera ) use the eggs or larvae of pest butterflies and moths for their own reproduction, ultimately killing them, playing an important role in the biological plant protection strategy. An efficient way to promote this parasitoids in the crop field is to provide them with flower strips as well as companion plants, e.g. cornflower ( Centaurea cyanus ), that will provide them with food (nectar) and shelter. Between 2007 and 2010 we conducted experiments to test the olfactory attractiveness of different flowers as well as the influence of their nectar on the regulation of the cabbage moth ( Mamestra brassicae ) as well as on the lifespan and parasitation performance of its antagonists (egg and larval parasitoids). Keywords: functional biodiversity, cabbage, flowering plants, natural enemies

The egg parasitoid Telenomus sp. as a novel biocontrol agent to prevent the cabbage moth

This work, which is part of a project called Biocomes (www.biocomes.eu), focuses on the control of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) through mass release of the egg parasitoid Telenomus sp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). In the first year of the project we conducted different experiments to undercover aspects of the biology of this egg parasitoid that could help the creation of an efficient rearing system. Parallel we developed a species specific primer for the molecular species determination. Here we will present the most important results.

Costs associated with the evolution of selfing in North American populations of Arabidopsis lyrata?

Selfing can evolve if the transmission advantage of selfers outweighs the negative effects of inbreeding depression. It has been hypothesised that on the long term, selfing lineages are an evolutionary dead end, in part due to genetic degradation resembling that of Muller’s ratchet in asexual lineages. There is a lack of empirical evidence for costs of selfing due to genetic degradation in recently evolved selfers. We tested whether such costs are apparent in recently established selfing populations of the generally outcrossing species Arabidopsis lyrata. Specifically, we compared selfing and outcrossing populations in their growth performance, and for traits that play a putative role in defence against herbivores. In line with our expectations, selfing populations had reduced germination rates, growth however was similar to outcrossing populations. Plants from selfing populations showed no consistent reduction in herbivore-defence traits, and were equally palatable to caterpillars of the moth Mamestra brassicae. There were also no differences between outcrossers and selfers in phenotypic plasticity for putative defence traits and palatability after induction by herbivores. Overall, we interpret our results as showing some evidence for persistent costs of selfing due to drift or inbreeding load in terms of reduced seedling establishment, but providing no support for the hypothesis that selfing populations should be more susceptible to generalist herbivores, or rely more on induced defence.

Plant defence responses in oilseed rape MINELESS plants after attack by the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae.

The Brassicaceae family is characterized by a unique defence mechanism known as the 'glucosinolate-myrosinase' system. When insect herbivores attack plant tissues, glucosinolates are hydrolysed by the enzyme myrosinase (EC 3.2.1.147) into a variety of degradation products, which can deter further herbivory. This process has been described as 'the mustard oil bomb'. Additionally, insect damage induces the production of glucosinolates, myrosinase, and other defences. Brassica napus seeds have been genetically modified to remove myrosinase-containing myrosin cells. These plants are termed MINELESS because they lack myrosin cells, the so-called toxic mustard oil mines. Here, we examined the interaction between B. napus wild-type and MINELESS plants and the larvae of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae. No-choice feeding experiments showed that M. brassicae larvae gained less weight and showed stunted growth when feeding on MINELESS plants compared to feeding on wild-type plants. M. brassicae feeding didn't affect myrosinase activity in MINELESS plants, but did reduce it in wild-type seedlings. M. brassicae feeding increased the levels of indol-3-yl-methyl, 1-methoxy-indol-3-yl-methyl, and total glucosinolates in both wild-type and MINELESS seedlings. M. brassicae feeding affected the levels of glucosinolate hydrolysis products in both wild-type and MINELESS plants. Transcriptional analysis showed that 494 and 159 genes were differentially regulated after M. brassicae feeding on wild-type and MINELESS seedlings, respectively. Taken together, the outcomes are very interesting in terms of analysing the role of myrosin cells and the glucosinolate-myrosinase defence system in response to a generalist cabbage moth, suggesting that similar studies with other generalist or specialist insect herbivores, including above- and below-ground herbivores, would be useful.

Effects of herbicide-treated host plants on the development of Mamestra brassicae L. caterpillars.

Herbicides are widely used pesticides that affect plants by changing their chemistry. In doing so, herbicides might also influence the quality of plants as food for herbivores. To study the effects of herbicides on host plant quality, 3 plant species (Plantago lanceolata L., P. major L., and Ranunculus acris L.) were treated with sublethal rates of either a sulfonylurea (Atlantis WG, Bayer CropScience) or a glyphosate (Roundup LB Plus, Monsanto) herbicide, and the development of caterpillars of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae L. that fed on these plants was observed. Of the 6 tested plant-herbicide combinations, 1 combination (R. acris + sulfonylurea herbicide) resulted in significantly lower caterpillar weight, increased time to pupation, and increased overall development time compared with larvae that were fed unsprayed plants. These results might be caused by a lower nutritional value of these host plants or increased concentrations of secondary metabolites that are involved in plant defense. The results of the present and other studies suggest potential risks to herbivores that feed on host plants treated with sublethal rates of herbicides. However, as the effects of herbicides on host plant quality appear to be species-specific and as there are numerous plant-herbicide-herbivore relationships in agricultural landscapes, a general reduction in herbicide contamination of nontarget habitats (e.g., field margins) might mitigate the negative effects of herbicides on host plant quality.

Rearing of Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and its host Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Establishing continuous and reliable colonies of pest-parasitoid systems in the laboratory is an essential requirement for carrying out manipulative experiments on biological control. Here we describe in detail the rearing protocols that we optimized for the efficient rearing of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae and its key parasitoid Microplitis mediator.

Trade-offs between developmental parameters of two endoparasitoids developing in different instars of the same host species

Trade-offs amongst life history traits is a major theme in evolutionary biology. Parasitoid wasps are important biological control agents and make excellent organisms to examine trade-offs in fitness related traits such as size, development rate and survival. Here, we examined trait-related trade-offs in 2 solitary endoparasitoids developing in different stages (or instars) of the same caterpillar host, the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae. Microplitis mediator is a small specialist parasitoid that attacks first (L1) to third (L3) instars of M. brassicae; Meteorus pulchricornis is a larger highly generalized parasitoid that attacks L1–L4 instars of the same host species. When developing in early host instars (e.g. L1–L2), both parasitoids differently traded-off size against development time. In M. mediator, adult body mass was smaller in wasps developing in L1 than in L2 and L3 hosts, whereas development time was unaffected by instar. By contrast, adult body mass in M. pulchricornis was smaller and development time longer when developing in L1 and L2 than in L3 and L4 instars. Periodic starvation of M. brassicae caterpillars parasitized by M. pulchricornis further reduced adult mass and extended development time of wasps in L2 (but not L4) hosts. Maximum egg load in M. pulchricornis (but not M. mediator) was correlated with adult female body size. Our results imply that rapid development time is more important than body size for fitness in both species, although in M. pulchricornis both development time and adult size are traded off in determining the optimal phenotype. Developing a better understanding of association-specific patterns of development in parasitoids can assist in the optimization of mass rearing of these insects for biological control.

Noncrop flowering plants restore top-down herbivore control in agricultural fields.

Herbivore populations are regulated by bottom-up control through food availability and quality and by top-down control through natural enemies. Intensive agricultural monocultures provide abundant food to specialized herbivores and at the same time negatively impact natural enemies because monocultures are depauperate in carbohydrate food sources required by many natural enemies. As a consequence, herbivores are released from both types of control. Diversifying intensive cropping systems with flowering plants that provide nutritional resources to natural enemies may enhance top-down control and contribute to natural herbivore regulation. We analyzed how noncrop flowering plants planted as “companion plants” inside cabbage (Brassica oleracea) fields and as margins along the fields affect the plant–herbivore–parasitoid–predator food web. We combined molecular analyses quantifying parasitism of herbivore eggs and larvae with molecular predator gut content analysis and a comprehensive predator community assessment. Planting cornflowers (Centaurea cynanus), which have been shown to attract and selectively benefit Microplitis mediator, a larval parasitoid of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae, between the cabbage heads shifted the balance between trophic levels. Companion plants significantly increased parasitism of herbivores by larval parasitoids and predation on herbivore eggs. They furthermore significantly affected predator species richness. These effects were present despite the different treatments being close relative to the parasitoids’ mobility. These findings demonstrate that habitat manipulation can restore top-down herbivore control in intensive crops if the right resources are added. This is important because increased natural control reduces the need for pesticide input in intensive agricultural settings, with cascading positive effects on general biodiversity and the environment. Companion plants thus increase biodiversity both directly, by introducing new habitats and resources for other species, and indirectly by reducing mortality of nontarget species due to pesticides.This study provides a comprehensive assessment of how habitat manipulation affects biocontrol services of a natural enemy community including both parasitoids and generalist predators. The trophic interactions between pests, parasitoids and predators were determined to achieve a better systemic understanding of top-down herbivore control, which can be strengthened when natural enemies complement each other or dampened by intraguild interactions. Our approach to selectively enhance the third trophic level to counteract specific herbivores was successful for both predators and parasitoids. Our results show significant positive effects of companion plants on predation of pest eggs and parasitism of pest larvae. Importantly, our data also suggest that carabids, staphylinids and spiders do not substantially interfere with parasitoid biocontrol as parasitoid DNA was rarely detected in predator guts.

Prothoracicotropic Hormone Acts as a Neuroendocrine Switch between Pupal Diapause and Adult Development

Diapause is a programmed developmental arrest that has evolved in a wide variety of organisms and allows them survive unfavorable seasons. This developmental state is particularly common in insects. Based on circumstantial evidence, pupal diapause has been hypothesized to result from a cessation of prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) secretion from the brain. Here, we provide direct evidence for this classical hypothesis by determining both the PTTH titer in the hemolymph and the PTTH content in the brain of diapause pupae in the cabbage army moth Mamestra brassicae. For this purpose, we cloned the PTTH gene, produced PTTH-specific antibodies, and developed a highly sensitive immunoassay for PTTH. While the hemolymph PTTH titer in non-diapause pupae was maintained at high levels after pupation, the titer in diapause pupae dropped to an undetectable level. In contrast, the PTTH content of the post-pupation brain was higher in diapause animals than in non-diapause animals. These results clearly demonstrate that diapause pupae have sufficient PTTH in their brain, but they do not release it into the hemolymph. Injecting PTTH into diapause pupae immediately after pupation induced adult development, showing that a lack of PTTH is a necessary and sufficient condition for inducing pupal diapause. Most interestingly, in diapause-destined larvae, lower hemolymph titers of PTTH and reduced PTTH gene expression were observed for 4 and 2 days, respectively, prior to pupation. This discovery demonstrates that the diapause program is already manifested in the PTTH neurons as early as the mid final instar stage.

Selective flowers to enhance biological control of cabbage pests by parasitoids

Habitat management is an important element in sustainable agriculture and can be used to maximize a range of ecosystem services that support crop production. An important example of such ecosystem services is biological control of pests which can be enhanced by providing arthropod natural enemies with suitable floral resources. The potential risk of this approach, however, is that flowering plants may enhance the fitness of the targeted pests as well. We conducted experiments to identify selective plant species that would improve the longevity and parasitization rate of the parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator without benefiting its host pest, the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae. Effects on longevity were also assessed for Diadegma fenestrale, a generalist parasitoid wasp attacking lepidopteran pests. Additionally, we compared the effects of floral and extrafloral nectar, the latter being formed in some plant species and can significantly prolong the duration of nectar availability for natural enemies. Longevity of M. mediator and D. fenestrale as well as parasitization rates of M. mediator were significantly increased by the presence of Fagopyrum esculentum (floral nectar), Centaurea cyanus (floral and extrafloral nectar) and non-flowering Vicia sativa (extrafloral nectar). M. mediator parasitized 202.3±29.7 M. brassicae larvae during its lifetime when presented F. esculentum, compared to 14.4±3.4 larvae in the absence of floral resources. Extrafloral nectar of C. cyanus and V. sativa was as suitable for M. mediator as floral nectar and significantly increased longevity and parasitization rates. Longevity and fecundity of M. brassicae were not supported by the plant species tested. These results stress the importance of plant screening to achieve plant selectivity and to maximize biological control. F. esculentum, C. cyanus and V. sativa are recommended as selective plant species to enhance parasitoids of M. brassicae.

Dynamics of energy metabolism in ontogenesis of striped shield bug (Graphosoma lineatum L.) and cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae L.)

Dynamics of growth and oxygen consumption during ontogenesis of insects with direct (striped shield bug Graphosoma lineatum L.) and indirect (cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae L.) development have been compared. The correlation between a character of energy metabolism alteration and peculiarities of development of the insects has been shown. Cyclic decrease of oxygen consumption during molt and sharp dropping during metamorphosis have been observed in insects with indirect development. The decrease of oxygen consumption has been observed in insects with direct development only during molts. The coefficient a of allometric dependence of oxygen consumption on body weight of imago for cabbage moth was two times higher than that for striped shield bug.

Dynamics of Some Lepidopteran Pests in Vegetable Crop in the Mureş Floodplain Area

The potential of biotechnical using sex pheromones as monitoring and control tool was investigated in this experiment. The lepidopteran species identified and monitored in experimental plots from Vegetable Research and Development Station Iernut was diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae, gamma moth Autographa gamma and cotton bollworm Heliothis (Helicoverpa) armigera. If in the first year in the baited sticky traps was captured hundred of moths' males, in the second year population was much lower, a reason for using pheromones in IPM techniques for protecting vegetables crops.

A Comparison of Insect Pest Colonization on White Cabbage Cultivars

The experiments were carried out in 2002 and 2003. Twenty-two cv. of white cabbage were sown in 2002 and eighteen cv. of white cabbage were sown in 2003. In both years, observations were done and the occurrence of the cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae L., small white butterfly Pieris rapae L., large white butterfly P. brassicae L., diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L. and cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae L. were determined. The results show that the lowest number of aphids was noted on cv. Hurricana and Vestri and also the development of aphids on these cultivars was very weak. The results from 2003 show that the cultivar most preferred by cab- bage aphids was Lenox. The diamondback moth P. xylostella L., small white butterfly P. rapae L., large white butterfly P. brassicae L., and cabbage moth M. brassicae L. were not very numerous in either year, although a higher number was noted in 2002. The highest number of caterpillars and pupae of diamond moth were observed on cv. Hurricana, Kalorama and Bartolo. In the year of the most intensive occurrence, the eggs of the white butterfly P. rapae L were the most numerous on cv. Lenox and the least numerous on cv. Balaton and Kamienna Glowa. Egg clusters of the large white butterfly P. brassicae L. and cabbage moth M. brassicae L. were mainly noted in 2002, and then only on some cultivars. The greatest number of eggs clusters of P. brassicae was observed on cultivars Masada and Sitton, and of M. brassicae on cultivars Kronos and Langendijker.