ABSTRACT

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a sporadic but serious late-season pest on cotton. The mean developmental time of the beet armyworm from the first instar and third instar until pupation was observed to be slower for those individuals reared on Bollgard II when compared to larvae reared on Bollgard or Roundup-Ready cottons. A reduced mean pupal weight was also observed for first instar and third instar beet armyworm larvae when fed until pupation on Bollgard II in comparison to those larvae similarly reared on Bollgard or Roundup-Ready cottons. The lowest survival percent was recorded in trials using first and third instar larvae reared until pupation on Bollgard II cotton.