LEPIDOPTEROUS PESTS OF COTTON AND THEIR PARASITOIDS IN A DOUBLE-CROPPING ENVIRONMENT

Seasonal populations of Spodoptera frugiperda, S. exigua, S. eridania, Heliothis virescens, Helicoverpa zea, Pseudoplusia includens, and the ir parasitoids, were monitored on late-season cotton in northcentral F lorida in 1992. The cotton was planted as a second crop, following cor n, in one field and as a first crop in a second field in which cotton has not been grown for many years. At least twelve species of parasito ids emerged from lepidopterous larvae collected from the cotton plants . The most common parasitoids were Cotesia marginiventris, Meteorus au tographae, Cardiochiles nigriceps, Netelia sayi, and Copidosoma trunca tellum. The native parasitoid that showed the most potential as a biol ogical control agent was C. marginiventris, because it attacks a broad range of pests including the Heliothis/Helicoverpa complex, Spodopter a spp., and Pseudoplusia includens.