Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1997 Pest Status and Management of Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera Exigua (Hubner), on Cotton in Louisiana. Victor James Mascarenhas Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Mascarenhas, Victor James, "Pest Status and Management of Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera Exigua (Hubner), on Cotton in Louisiana." (1997). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6582. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6582 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back o f the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6 ” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PEST STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF BEET ARMYWORM, SPODOPTERA EXIGUA (HUBNER), ON COTTON IN LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Department of Entomology by Victor J. Mascarenhas B. S., University of Florida, 1990 M. S., Mississippi State University, 1994 December 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9820736 UMI Microform 9820736 Copyright 1998, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, especially the Department of Entomology and the Northeast Research Stations, for providing me with the opportunity to pursue my academic goals at Louisiana State University. My research project was greatly facilitated by support provided in terms of laboratory facilities, field plots, supplies, and assistance from faculty and staff. Also, I gratefully acknowledge partial funding of my research by Cotton Incorporated Grant 95-166LA. I wish to express my gratitude to my major professor, Dr. Jerry Graves, for his guidance, encouragement, and advice during my education at LSU. I also wish to thank Drs. Roger Leonard, James Griffin, David Boethel, James Ottea, and Charles Johnson for serving as members of my Graduate Advisory Committee. Their encouragement and constructive criticism of my research and dissertation have made me a better researcher. Special thanks are extended to Larry Daigle, James Pope, Chad Comeaux, David Nyagah, all other student workers, and fellow graduate students that have helped me along the way. I am forever indebted to my wife for her encouragement, patience, assistance, and love which have supported me throughout my graduate education. I thank all my relatives for their encouragement and prayers. Finally, I must acknowledge my Creator who gives me strength to endure all things. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ I References Cited .................................................................. 7 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ....................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 1. LATE SEASON BEET ARMYWORM INFESTATIONS: EFFECTS ON FRUIT DAMAGE, DEFOLIATION, AND YIELD .................................................................................. 13 Introduction.......................................................................... 13 Materials and Methods....................................................... 15 Results ................................................................................... 18 Discussion ............................................................................. 28 References Cited .................................................................. 34 2. BEET ARMYWORM (LEPEDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) CONTROL ON COTTON IN LOUISIANA .................... 38 Introduction.......................................................................... 38 Materials and Methods....................................................... 40 Results .................................................................................. 41 Discussion ............................................................................ 43 References Cited ................................................................. 45 3. SUSCEPTIBILITY OF FIELD POPULATIONS OF BEET ARMYWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) TO TO COMMERCIAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INSECTICIDES ................................................................. 49 Introduction......................................................................... 49 Materials and Methods...................................................... 52 Results and Discussion.......................................................... 55 References Cited .................................................................. 67 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4. RESPONSES OF THIRD-INSTAR BEET ARMYWORMS (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) TO SELECTED INSECTICIDES ................................................................ 71 Introduction ........................................................................ 71 Materials and Methods....................................................... 73 Results ................................................................................. 76 Discussion ............................................................................ 83 References Cited ................................................................. 88 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ......................................................... 91 APPENDIX: LETTER OF PERMISSION FOR CHAPTER 2 ................ 95 VITA .............................................................................................................. 96 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1.: Percent light penetration and yield of cotton in plots infested with 1, 3 or 6 beet armyworm egg m asses ..................................... 19 Table 1.2.: Percent of shed fruiting forms that were damaged in plots infested with 0, 1, 3, or6 beet armyworm egg masses at various sampling dates..................................................................... 24 Table 2.1.: Efficacy o f selected insecticides against beet armyworm at 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after treatment (DAT) in Test 1 at the Northeast Research Station, St. Joseph, Louisiana.......................... 42 Table 2.2.: Efficacy o f selected insecticides against beet armyworm at 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after treatment (DAT) in Test 2 at the Macon Ridge location of the Northeast Research Station, Winnsboro, Louisiana ............................................................................................... 44 Table 3.1.: Beet armyworm field and laboratory reference strains used in bioassays ...............................................................................................