Modeling of the immature stages of the species of Noctuidae associated with Physalis peruviana L.

Physalis peruviana L. is currently the second fruit crop more exported of Colombia; however, the pests associated with the culture have been little studied which is important considering that some Noctuidae can cause a decrease of 20% in its production. In this research, the Noctuidae species related to P. peruviana were studied in three farms of La Unión, Antioquia, Colombia. Twelve sampling units, with 30- and 45-day transplanted plants, were distributed throughout the farms and sampled biweekly from March 1st to August 29th of 2014. In the plant canopy and the planted area, immature stages were registered, and statistic models were built in order to describe their trend. The taxonomic identification of adults was made by comparing with the Noctuidae collection of Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego at Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Sede Medellín, and by using taxonomic keys. Nine Noctuidae species were found in total. Six models were built, four oviposition models for Agrotis ipsilon and Spodoptera spp., Copitarsia decolora and Heliothis subflexa, Megalographa biloba, and Peridroma saucia; a model for larvae and pupae stages was built. The oviposition model for P. saucia was the more adjusted, with a Root mean squared predictive difference (RMSPD) of 0.84. The other studied models were suitable to describe the trend of the immature stages; except for M. biloba model. This research revealed the ecological characteristics of the Noctuidae species associated with the golden berry crop that affect its productivity.

A multiplex PCR method for identification of two common true cutworm species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) tested in the central plain of Guilan province, Iran

Many species of cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are important agricultural pest. They feed on roots and foliage of their host plants. Traditionally these species are identified based on morphological characteristics of adults. Hence identification of specimens in poor condition, immature stages and also closely related species or cryptic species is a difficult task. The basics of biological and ecological studies largely rely on an accurate species identification; consequently these investigations are impacted by potential misidentifications. In this study, we amplified 5' region of mitochondrial c cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (DNA barcode region) of various common true cutworm species including Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel, 1766), Agrotis exclamationis (Linnaeus, 1758), Peridroma saucia (Hübner, 1808) and Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) from agricultural fields of Guilan province (North of Iran). We were able to detect 66 conservative Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) among the targeted pest species and eventually design specific primers and develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay as a molecular diagnostic tool for immature stages of two the most common and abundant species including A. ipsilon and X. c-nigrum in Guilan province.