Damage due to leaf mining by Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) is a major problem in many leafy vegetables, especially lettuce. A hierarchy of feeding preference of leafminer on lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. cultivars 'Valmaine', `Parris Island Cos', `Floricos 83', and `Tall Guzmaine' was determined. Leafminers were given a choice of two plants. Observations on the number of times that leafminers probed the leaf surface to feed or oviposit in each plant was counted. `Tall Guzmaine' was significantly preferred in all combinations. Probe ratio of `Tall Guzmaine' verses the other cos lines ranged from 4:1 to 90:1. There were no significant difference between the other three lines, although `Valmaine' had the lowest count in most cases. Based on the pedigrees of the cultivars tested, the observed preferences appears to be under genetic control.
Genetic control of feeding preference in the herbivorous amphipod Ampithoe longimana