Ecological studies of the European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae): nosema dose-response, pheromone trapping, and adult dispersal

Abstract

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION Dissertation Organization This thesis is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 is a general introduction and literature review of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner). Chapter 2 is a bioassay study of growth, development, and survival of Nosema pyrausta-mÎQctQà larvae reared on meridic diet impregnated with CrylAb, the toxin expressed in transgenic com to protect it against O. nubilalis. Chapter 3 is a field study of the impact of trap design, windbreaks, and weather on moth captures in pheromone-baited traps. Chapter 4 is a field study that examines the dispersal of newly-eclosed moths from corn into small-grain aggregation plots. The general conclusions of this dissertation are presented in Chapter 5.