The effect of aging on a commercial pheromone-based lure for attractiveness to male adult beet armyworms, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), was assessed in terms of trapping efficiency and volatile emissions of two key components: (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate and (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol. In field assays conducted in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, for 9 wk (June-August 2000) and for 8 wk (Mar...

The effects of cadmium toxicity may vary between animals with different history of metal exposure. The aim of our study was to examine HSP70, protein carbonyl levels, catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity in the heads of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) larvae originated from undergoing 1- and 44-generational cadmium treatment and in control (those that were not exposed to cadmium). We als...

Genotypic and phenotypic variation of SeMNPV was examined in seven isolates of SeMNPV originating from occlusion body (OB) populations in the soil of greenhouses in Spain. Semi-quantitative PCR indicated that some of the isolates were composed of a single dominant genotype, whereas other isolates were composed of two or three genotypes in equal proportions. The coexistence of genotypes could be...

BACKGROUND Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is one of the major pests of maize and is in the same feeding guild as the noctuid pests Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), recently reported in South and North America. The intraguild interactions of these species were assessed in laboratory and field conditions by determining the survival of larvae...

The insecticidal characteristics of two Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) strains produced on two different S. exigua colonies were measured using the same two host colonies. These strains constitute the active ingredients of the biological insecticides Vir-ex and Spexit and were produced on insect colonies from Spain and Switzerland. Demographic characteristics of insect...

Three Apium graveolens (L.) varieties and cultivars within varieties were evaluated for host plant suitability to two polyphagous lepidopteran herbivores: the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hiibner), and the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hiibner). Overall, there were no significant differences in survivorship, developmental time, and pupal weight of S. exigua or T. ni reared on the two va...

New cell lines were recently developed from the embryos of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). A primary culture was initiated from 4-day-old A. ipsilon eggs in ExCell420 medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum. This initial culture produced sufficient cell growth to allow subcultivation and eventually led to the establishment of eight distinct strains. Two of th...

The genome sequence of an alphabaculovirus isolated from a Peridroma species indicated that it is a novel member of a group II lineage most closely related to alphabaculoviruses from Spodoptera exigua and Agrotis segetum. It contains a genome of 151,110 nucleotides (nt), with a G+C content of 53.3%.

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. genotypes limited in their ability to mount either octadecanoid-dependent induced resistance (IR(-)) or systemic acquired resistance (SAR(-)) were used to characterize the roles of these pathways in plant-herbivore interactions. Molecular and biochemical markers of IR were analysed in plants subject to herbivory by caterpillars of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera e...