Dead-end trap cropping: a technique to improve management of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2003.10.005
• Publication Date: 2003-12-13T11:44:37Z
• Authors: A.M Shelton; B.A Nault
• Keywords: Plutellidae; Trap crop

Abstract Use of non-glossy collards as a trap crop for control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), in commercial fields of cabbage in New York was unsuccessful because it neither reduced the number of larvae on cabbage nor concentrated the insects on collards. In laboratory and outdoor screenhouse experiments, P. xylostella preferentially laid its eggs on the glossy-type Barbarea vulgaris , a common biennial weed, when compared with broccoli and cabbage. Ovipositional preference in the screenhouse trials varied from 24 to 66 fold for B. vulgaris . However, no larvae were able to develop on B. vulgaris . More importantly, cabbage plants in screenhouses with B. vulgaris had fewer eggs laid on them than cabbage plants in screenhouses without B. vulgaris . We therefore suggest that B. vulgaris , or another plant species that is highly attractive for egg laying, but on which P. xylostella larvae do not survive, may serve as a ‘dead-end’ trap crop and be more successful than trap crop types that may only have increased oviposition. However, candidate dead-end trap crops must also be evaluated for their effects on other insects, diseases and weed management before such plants can be recommended in an overall pest management program.