Analysis of Damage to Soybeans Infested by the Common Cutworm, Spodoptera litura FABRICIUS (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

I. Effects of Infestation at Different Growth Stages of Soybean Plant

Abstract

The effects of common cutworm infestation on soybean yield were evaluated by inoculating different growth stages of soybeans with egg masses. Yield losses caused by early infestation at the flowering and pod-development stages were attributed mainly to the reduced production of pods per plant. Infestation at later reproductive stages caused yield losses by reducing the weight of individual beans.