Field corn, Zea mays L., plants expressing Cry1Ab and Cry1F insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner are planted on considerable acreage across the Southern region of the United States. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is an economically important pest during the mid-to-late season on non-Bt and some commercial Bt corn hybrids. The object...

Three Apium graveolens (L.) varieties and cultivars within varieties were evaluated for host plant suitability to two polyphagous lepidopteran herbivores: the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hiibner), and the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hiibner). Overall, there were no significant differences in survivorship, developmental time, and pupal weight of S. exigua or T. ni reared on the two va...

Fertilizer with different ratios of nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) can influence crop plant performance and defense against herbivores. Spodoptera exigua is an important agricultural pest that has caused serious economic loss, especially in recent decades. In the present study, we explored effects of different intensities and durations of S. exigua herbivory on host plant biomass and on S. exig...

Cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) can catalyze the oxidation of C20 fatty acids to produce certain eicosanoids, which play roles in mediating immune responses in insects. Despite their critical role in insect immunity, there have been few studies of the unique effects of different eicosanoids on immune responses. This study analyzed cellular and humoral immune responses of the beet ar...