Resistance of collard greens to Ascia monuste orseis (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Ascia monuste orseis (Godart) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) is a production limiting pest in collard greens, Brassica oleracea (L.) var. acephala, cultivation. Because of the overuse and harmful effects of synthetic insecticides on nontarget species, the use of insect-resistant cultivars can be a valuable strategy in pest control. In this study, newly hatched A. monuste orseis larvae were confined to the leaves of 29 collard greens cultivars under a controlled environment to investigate plant resistance. We evaluated the incubation period, duration of instars, total duration of the immature and pupal phases, the egg to adult life cycle duration, mortality per instar, total weight of fifth instar larvae and pupae (age = 24 h) and larval and pupal survival and eclosion. Antibiosis and/or antixenosis were observed in selected cultivars. The results show that Gigante I-915 (E) exhibited high larval mortality and that the Pires 1 de Campinas cultivar (P) prevented all pupae from proceeding to the adult stage. The Introduções do município de Arthur Nogueira Z (Y), Cabocla (AA), Japonesa (R) and Manteiga de Mococa (M) cultivars prolonged the larval stage. Japonesa (R) and Introduções do município de Arthur Nogueira Z (Y) increased the egg to adult developmental period, and the Japonesa (R) cultivar also prolonged the pupal stage. The Verde-escura (O), Crespa de Capão Bonito (I), Couve de folhas Manteiga 900 Legítima Pé Alto (AB), Gigante I-915 (E) and Manteiga Ribeirão Pires I-2446 (H) cultivars reduced the larval weight of A. monuste orseis.