Title: Efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis and Cabbage Cultivar Resistance to Diamondback Moth (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae)
Abstract: Population density estimates were used to determine the effectiveness of a commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subspp. kurstaki and aizawai (Agree 50 WP®) and host plant resistance in three cabbage cultivars against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). Cabbage plots treated with Agree 50 WP® had significantly fewer larvae per plant compared with untreated ones. The ranking from most to least susceptible of the three main cabbage cultivars grown in Jamaica was ‘KY Cross’ > ‘Early Jersey’ > ‘Tropicana’. These findings provide evidence that a new cabbage hybrid, ‘Tropicana’, and products containing effective strains of B. thuringiensis may be successfully used for P. xylostella management in Jamaica.