Comparative Development of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) on Different Cultivars of Cabbage

摘要

Cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata (Linnaeus) Is the fourth most widely grown vegetable crop of India, grown over an area of 397.41 thousand ha with a production of 8603.09 thousand MT (Anonymous, 2013). It is a biennial crop that originated from wild cliff cabbage. It is attacked by many Insect pests. Among all, tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) has emerged as the most destructive Insect pest on cabbage. The larva is polyphagus and feeds on mungbean, soybean and various vegetables recorded as hosts (Qin and Ye, 2007). Outbreaks of the pest occurs due to its resistance to insecticides and favourable weather conditions (Thanki etal., 2003). The pest is widely distributed throughout tropical and temperate Asia, Australia and Pacific islands (Monobrulla and Shankar, 2008). Its wide spread and pest status has been attributed to its polyphagy and its ability to undergo both facultative diapause and seasonal migration (Devanand and Rani, 2008).