The Host Plant Performance of Mulberry, Boxelder, and Hazelnut for Fall Webworm

Abstract

The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is one of the most polyphagous insect pests, and it can feed on more than 400 species of plants, including many crops, herbaceous plants, shrubs, fruits, and ornamental trees. It is widespread in North America, Europe, and Asia. This pest was discovered for the first time in 1975 in Turkiye. Despite the fact that many host plants have been determined for it in Turkiye, particularly hazelnut, mulberry, and boxelder trees, they showed higher infestations. In this study, as major host plants, mulberry, boxelder, and hazelnut were compared in semi-field condition during the first generation. The mean larval development times were 21.2, 23.6, and 26.7 days for mulberry, boxelder, and hazelnut, respectively. Pupal weights of female and male were 234 and 193 mg; 220 and 190 mg, and 170 and 145 mg, respectively, in the field cages. The mean number of eggs per female was 925, 904, and 820, respectively, for host plants in the same order. Hazelnut differed significantly from the other two host plants regarding pupal weight, larval development time, and egg numbers. Also, the 4th and 5th larval stages consumed less leaf area of hazelnut than the other two host plants. As a result, in spite of the fact that hazelnut is a slightly weaker host plant for fall webworm than its favorite host plants, mulberry and boxelder, the host plant performance of hazelnut in the field was much better than that of many other host plants. Therefore, it is concluded that hazelnut is one of the most suitable host plants for fall webworm in the field, contrary to previous laboratory studies, which approved the reason for preference as one of the main host plants in the field. © 2025 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.