This study was conducted to determine the relationship of larval density of tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) to damage in greenhouse sweet pepper. Laboratory experiments, cage experiments by artificial release and field investigation were carried out in 2008. The leaf consumption rate increased greatly with larval development. The damaged leaves had several round or oval shape holes on the surface or lost certain parts of them, and the fruit damaged had a conspicuous hole on the surface or scar marks around the calyx. In the field investigation, fruit damage was highly correlated with larval densities and reached 3.5% damage at maximum. Cage experiments showed that numbers of non-marketable fruit increased as increasing larval densities released. The larval density at two weeks before harvest had a high relationship with the percentage of damaged-fruit at harvest. Corresponding larval density caused 1, 3, 5% of damaged-fruit was 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 larvae per plant, respectively.

• 박홍현
• 김광호
• 김정준
• 고현관
• 이상계