Co-efficacy of a trap crop, Colocasia esculenta (L.) schott and a biological agent, Spodoptera litura nuclear polyhedral virus on the tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) in the tobacco field.

The tobacco caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is a serious agricultural insect pest that is increasingly difficult to control in tobacco fields of Southern China. Trap crop plus biological control management system that assembles Colocasia esculenta trap plants and Spodoptera litura nuclear polyhedral virus (SlNPV) is a biologically-based pest management strategy that may effectively manage S. litura. Therefore, studies were conducted to evaluate three management strategies including trap crop plus biological control management system, chemical control and natural control against this pest on tobacco in South China. The results showed that the indices of population trend of 2nd and 3rd generations of S. litura were significantly lower in trap crop plus biological control management system than in natural or chemical control. Additionally, parasitization of S. litura larvae and density of several important predators were higher in trap crop plus biological control management system compared to chemical or natural control Overall, our findings suggest that the combination of trap crop plants plus biological control management system will manage effectively S. litura on tobacco, and we advocate the use of such ecologically-sound management practices to reduce pesticides use in Southern China.

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