Diurnal Abundance and Spatial Distribution of Armyworm, (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in No-till Corn
Armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Haworth), spatial and diurnal abundance in no-till corn was sampled at six-h intervals (at 0200,0800, 1400, and 2000) during three 24 h periods. During the early growth stages of corn, armyworm density on corn plants was higher during nighttime, and differed significantly between 0200 and 1400 hours. The number of armyworm feeding on leaf edges of the early growth stages of corn was significantly higher at 0200 than during any other time, and the proportion of total larvae on corn plants that were on leaf edges was significantly higher at 0200 than during the daytime. Daytime foliage sampling will underestimate the true populations of armyworm feeding on foliage by 1.8 to 31 fold, depending on the time and thoroughness of the sampling program.