The paper describes polyphagous pests, the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) and bright-line brown-eyes moth (Mamestra oleracea), which were not systematically investigated up to now in Slovenia. The cabbage moth, which is more abundant, preferably attacks Brassica plants, and its caterpillars are especially harmful in the cabbage. The paper deals with the morphology, distribution and methods of monitoring the pest populations and discuss on their control. The protection of vegetables from both pests is primarily based on the use of chemical insecticides. However, the use of natural enemies and various agro-technical measures can also be very important in diminishing the populations of the pests. With interlacing of all of these approaches, healthy and quality food can be produced even in the growing seasons with high attack of the pests mentioned. V prispevku sta predstavljena polifagna škodljivca, kapusova sovka (Mamestra brassicae) in zelenjadna sovka (Mamestra oleracea), ki v Sloveniji doslej nista bila načrtneje preučevana. Kapusova sovka, ki se pri nas pojavlja bolj številčno, najraje napada kapusnice, njene gosenice pa se najraje hranijo na zelju. V prispevku predstavljamo morfologijo, razširjenost, način spremljanja sezonske dinamike vrst ter njuno zatiranje. Varstvo vrtnin pred kapusovo sovko in zelenjadno sovko še vedno temelji zlasti na uporabi kemičnih insekticidov, čeprav je številčnost populacij omenjenih škodljivcev mogoče zmanjšati tudi z naravnimi sovražniki in ustreznimi agrotehničnimi ukrepi. S prepletanjem omenjenih ukrepov je namreč mogoče tudi ob močnem napadu pridelati zdrav in kakovosten živež.

The cabbage armyworm (Mamestra brassicae L.) and the bright-line brown-eyes moth (Mamestra oleracea L.) are polyphagous insect species. From 2008 to 2010, we monitored the seasonal dynamics of both pests in two locations in Slovenia, Ljubljana and the Nova Gorica region. Pheromone traps (VARL + type) were used to precisely determine the occurrence of adults, i.e., the beginning and end of generations and the peaks of the populations. This allowed us to examine the relationship between the quantity of pests, average daily air temperature and average daily precipitation. Our results established that there were two generations of Mamestra brassicae per year in both locations; however, the seasonal dynamics of Mamestra oleracea was not as clear due to low trap catch. During 2008-2010 in Ljubljana, the average temperature during the peaks of the first generation of M. brassicae ranged from 16-19°C (sum of effective temperatures (SET) from 250°C to 375°C) and 20°C (SET from 986°C to 1,290°C) during the peaks of the second generation. We found no correlation between the average number of cabbage armyworm adults during the peaks of both generations and the mean air temperature 35 and 70 days prior to the peaks.

In 2011, we studied the glucosinolate content in 5 cultivars and 5 cabbage hybrids grown outdoors in order to study their influence on the feeding of cabbage moth caterpillars (Mamestra brassicae). The selected genotypes were categorized into three groups, early (the growth period from 55 to 70 days), mid-early (80-90 days) and mid-late (110-140 days), while the samples of cabbage for glucosinolate analysis were taken at five intervals, during which we also assessed genotypes for the extent of damage caused by caterpillars. We found that the feeding of caterpillars affected primarily the mid-early and mid-late genotypes of cabbage, and that the glucosinolate content among the different cabbage genotypes varies. The highest content of the analyzed glucosinolates was established in mid-late genotypes. Glucobrassicin was the only glucosinolate found in all cabbage genotypes, yet its antixenotic effect (r=0.20) was very low. We found that sinalbin negatively affects the feeding of cabbage moth caterpillars in mid-early cabbage genotypes (r=-0.34), while the same effect of sinigrin on the extent of damage can be observed in mid-late genotypes (r=-0.27). We have established a strong or moderate correlation between the gluconapin (r=0.87) and progoitrin (r=0.66) contents in mid-late genotypes and the extent of damage caused by caterpillars. Our research proves that different cabbage genotypes are responsible for different susceptibilities to damage by the cabbage moth, and that one of the factors of natural resistance of cabbage are also glucosinolates. Despite this, due to their variability in cabbage we cannot precisely determine the set of genotypes that would ensure a higher cabbage yield as a result of less damage caused by the cabbage moth. Thus, we need to identify in more detail the reasons for the time and quantum variability of glucosinolates in Brassicaceae.