SURVIVAL AND DEVELOPMENT OF FRUIT BORER, HELIOTHIS-ARMIGERA (HUBNER), (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE) ON LYCOPERSICON SPP

Nineteen accessions from seven Lycopersicon species were bioassayed for their resistance to Heliothis armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in laboratory tests at 29 +/- 1-degrees-C and 65 +/- 2% r.h. Data on larval developmental duration (days), survival (%) and pupal weights (mg) revealed that maximum resistance to H. armigera occurred in accessions of L. hirsutum f. glabratum and L. hirsutum. When the larvae were fed on the foliage of PI 134417 and PI 126449 accessions (L. hirsutum f. glabratum), the developmental time was longer, and survival rate and pupal weights were lower than when the larvae were fed on cultivars of L. esculentum. Rearing of H. armigera larvae through third instar is sufficient to evaluate the resistance of wild tomato foliage since most of the larval mortality occurs prior to this stage. Accessions of L. peruvianum, L. chilense, L. cheesmanii and L. pimpinellifolium proved less resistant than L. hirsutum f. glabratum and L. hirsutum but significantly more resistant than L. esculentum. Thus, among the various Lycopersicon spp. bioassyed, accessions of L. hirsutum f. glabratum seem to have most potential for breeding H. armigera resistant cultivars.