ABSTRACT

Studies were conducted to evaluate the population dynamics of the tobacco budworm (TBW), Heliothis virescens (F.), in a host-plant rich agroecosystem in North Carolina. Commercial cotton and tobacco fields in the central coastal plain of NC were monitored in 2001 and 2002 for tobacco budworm larval development. A small plot trial was designed in 2002 to further elucidate the importance of cotton, tobacco, soybeans, and peanuts as hosts for H. virescens. Results of field evaluations indicate that the presence of tobacco in the North Carolina agroecosystem dictates budworm occurrence both spatially and temporally. Production of H. virescens from cultivated crops other than tobacco in commercial fields and small plots was minimal. Tobacco in NC may serve as an important refuge for both Bt and conventional insecticide resistance management.