Abstract
Ovipositional preferences of Helicoverpa assulta and Helicoverpa armigera femalesfor several host plants were investigated. Among the five host plants tested, the H. assulta female showed a strong ovipositional preference for tobacco only. On the other hand, the H. armigera female showed a weak ovipositonal preference for the five host plants tested, but the net which covered the insect rearing cage had a significantly (p <0.05) greater number of eggs. This suggests that the H. armigera female exhibits a unique characteristic, that is, it oviposites anywhere else than the host plants.
