Cabbage Leaf Epicuticular Wax Deters Female Oviposition and Larval Feeding of Pieris rapae.

ABSTRACT: The small white butterfly Pieris rapae is a major pest of brassicaceous crops, causing extensive damage to cabbage Brassica oleraceae var. capitata. Pieris rapae utilizes glucosinolates, which are characteristic of brassicaceous plants, for host selection. However, the effect of epicuticular wax of cabbage leaves on host selection by P. rapae remains unclear. This study was aimed to determine the effects of leaf epicuticular wax on female oviposition and larval feeding of P. rapae. We used a common cabbage variety 'Kinkei 201' containing n-nonacosane as the predominant leaf wax component. Wax removal treatments, in which the leaf surface was rubbed with cotton balls, significantly increased female oviposition and mid-stage (2nd-4th instars) larval feeding compared with untreated (intact) l

SUBMITTER: Ueno I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11937181 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature