Cutworm

Feltia deprivata belongs to the family Noctuidae within the order Lepidoptera. Known commonly as a type of cutworm, this species is a significant pest in agriculture, characterized by larvae that typically feed at night and reside beneath the soil surface during the day.

The pest poses a threat to a variety of crops, including cereals, corn, sunflower, sugar beet, and various vegetables. It is particularly destructive during the early growth stages of plants, often targeting the delicate tissues near the soil level, which can result in severe thinning of crop stands.

The biological cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The insect typically overwinters as a larva in the soil. Upon the arrival of spring temperatures, the larvae resume feeding, grow through several instars, and eventually pupate. Adult moths emerge later in the season to mate and lay eggs on host plants or soil surfaces.

Damage caused by this pest is primarily associated with the larvae feeding on the stem bases. By severing the connection between the roots and the above-ground part of the plant, cutworms cause the plants to wilt, lodge, or die entirely.

• Common signs include cut seedlings at the soil line
• Wilting of healthy-looking plants
• Patchy distribution of damage across the field

Integrated pest management (IPM) for Feltia deprivata involves cultural practices like deep plowing, which disturbs the soil-dwelling larvae, and effective weed control to remove alternative food sources. Chemical control methods, such as seed treatments with insecticides or foliar applications of pyrethroids or organophosphates, are employed when pest populations exceed economic thresholds.