Resistance and susceptibility of different Barbarea (Brassicaceae) species and types to cabbage whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and cabbage white butterfly (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Abstract

AbstractSeveral Barbarea spp. (Brassicaceae) have been tested as trap crops for the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). The use of trap crops can be affected by their susceptibility to other pests, especially if the purpose is to reduce insecticide use. Barbarea rupicola Moris, B. verna (Mill.) Asch., and B. vulgaris Aiton (types G and P) (Brassicaceae) were tested for their susceptibility to the cabbage whitefly Aleyrodes proletella L. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The percentage of plants showing infestation by cabbage whiteflies ranged from 50% in G-type B. vulgaris and 8.3% in B. verna to no infestation at all in B. rupicola and P-type B. vulgaris. On the other hand, 95.8% of P-type plants showed symptoms of powdery mildew, Erysiphe cruciferarum Opiz ex L. Junell (Erysiphales: Erysiphaceae), while the G type and the other Barbarea spp. were unaffected by this pathogen. Additionally, the G and P types were used in two-choice oviposition preference tests to compare their attractiveness to the small white butterfly Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). No significant differences in total oviposition per plant were found between the two types, but within-plant differences show that the small white butterfly prefers to oviposit on the adaxial leaf side in the P type. This study indicates that in locations where the cabbage whitefly is an economic pest, B. verna, which can also be used as a dead-end trap crop for the diamondback moth, could be chosen over G-type B. vulgaris.