Distribution of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Egg Masses on Cotton

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in cotton: vertical distribution of egg masses, effects of adult density and plant age on oviposition behavior

“…In conditions of greenhouse, the results are partly similar to those found by Ferreira, (2003), who cited the upper third of cotton plants as the preferred region for S. frugiperda oviposition. In contrast, the results obtained here differ, in part, from those achieved by Ali et al (1989), Santos (1999) and Miranda (2006), who found a higher number of S. frugiperda egg masses in the plants' middle and lower thirds, when the data were collected in the field.…”

“…The highest number of egg masses was found in the leaves (92.10%), preferentially on the abaxial surface. Those results confirm the data found by Pitre et al (1983), Ali et al(1989), Ferreira, (2003 and Miranda (2006), who reported the abaxial surface of the leaves as the site preferred by S. frugiperda for oviposition. Table 2.…”

“…of S. frugiperda egg masses found in cotton plants, regardless of age, match those obtained by Ali et al (1989), who concluded that S. frugiperda oviposit on all cotton plant phenological stages . Ferreira, (2003) studied the oviposition, dispersal, and feeding behavior of S. frugiperda caterpillars on cotton varieties BRS Ita 90 and Coodetec 404 and used (using) two mated females per plant at 65 days of age when the plants simultaneously had flower buds, flowers, and bolls.…”

“…In Brazil, the fall armyworm finds favorable climate and several hosts, which foster its occurrence across all regions year round (Cruz, 1995;Soares;Vieira, 1998;Santos, 2001). Although the fall armyworm prefers to feed on grasses such as corn, millet, wheat, sorghum, rice, and sugarcane, it also attacks plants from other families of economic importance, including cotton (Ali et al, 1989;Cruz, 1995).…”

“…In cotton, S. frugiperda oviposit in most of the plants phenological stages, more often in the lower (Ali et al, 1989), middle (Ali et al, 1989;Miranda, 2006) and upper thirds of the plant (Miranda, 2006) and preferentially on the lower surface of the leaves (Pitre et al, 1983;Ali et al, 1989;Santos, 1999;Ferreira, 2003;Miranda, 2006), in masses that may contain from 30 to 300 eggs (King;Saunders, 1984;Freeman, 1999). Egg masses are held together and fixed to the substrate by a substance produced by the accessory glands of females and are covered with one or more layers of abdominal hairs (Lucchini, 1977;Patel, 1981).…”