Impact of tobacco splitworm on burley tobacco
PI(s): Semtner, Paul J
Investigators: Srigiriraju, Lakshmipathi
Abstract: The tobacco splitworm, Phthorimaea operculella, is a leaf-mining caterpillar that is becoming an important pest of tobacco in the southeastern United States. In Virginia, it has been a sporadic problem on flue-cured tobacco, but not on burley tobacco. However, since there is a shortage of burley tobacco, companies are encouraging farmers to grow burley in the flue-cured region where splitworms are common. On burley tobacco, splitworm caterpillars cause moderate damage in the field and continue to feed on the leaves and stalks in the curing barn after harvest. Research will quantify splitworm damage to burley tobacco in the field and in the curing barn. The impact on leaf quality will be compared for various levels of leaf injury for each stalk position. Splitworm development on plants in the curing barn will be investigated. Pheromone traps will be used to monitor adult flight activity in the field and in the curing barn to assess their value for predicting splitworm outbreaks. Several insecticides will also be evaluated for splitworm control.
Description:
Commodities: Tobacco
Resources: Agricultural Experiment Station Facilities, Entomology Laboratory - Southern Piedmont AREC, Facilities at Southern Piedmont and Southwest Virginia ARECs
Disciplines: Behavior, Ecology, Integrated Pest Management, Pesticides
Audiences: Agribusiness, Commodity Groups, Extension Agents, Graduate Students, Producers, Researchers
