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Specific Feeding Preferences of Tortricid Larvae on Flowering Strawberry Plants
Author(s) -
ALFORD D. V.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.928
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-3059
pISSN - 0032-0862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3059.1975.tb01861.x
Subject(s) - biology , larva , pest analysis , horticulture , botany
SUMMARY Examination of the feeding preferences of tortricid larvae attacking strawberry plants in eastern England during the main pre‐harvest blossom periods of 1972 and 1973 indicated that most larvae (85–6 per cent) of Acleris comariana (Lienig & Zell.) fed on foliage rather than on flowers or developing jfruitlets. However, this was not true for Clepsis spectrana (Treits.) (87–7 per cent on flowers), Olethreutes lacunana (Denis & Schiif.) (77–6 per cent on flowers) and Cnephasia interjectana (Haw.) (98–5 per cent on flowers). At densities of up to 12–5/m 2 , larvae of A. comariana had no observable effect on strawberry yields. Neither fruit quality nor quantity was correlated with pest (larval) numbers. The possible economic importance of A. comariana is considered in the light of these results and in comparison with published data for more directly damaging tortrix species. The role of the parasite Litomastix aretas (Wlk.) in controlling A. comariarm populations in East Anglia is also discussed.