The objective of this work was to study the population fluctuation and the vertical distribution of the Chrysodeixis includes (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the leaf canopy of soybeans. The experiments were conducted under field conditions in the experimental area of the Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste during the 2014/2015 harvest. Adult monitoring was performed using Delta-type traps, baited with the pest sexual pheromone. The eggs were collected in the soybean plants and the caterpillars monitored through the beat cloth. The population peaks of C. includes occurred in the reproductive period of the soybean plants, although the adults were also found in the season soybean. Although there was no significant relationship between the trapped adults and the immature forms of C. includes sampled with the beat cloth, a significant linear and positive relationship was found between the egg and caterpillar densities of the pest in the culture. Adults preferentially oviposited on the lower part of the soybean plants, while the caterpillars preferred to position themselves predominantly in the lower and mid region of the plants. However, at warmer temperatures during the day, the caterpillars migrate to the upper areas of the soybean plants.
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