Principal Insects Affecting Tobacco Plants in the Field

Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, is a high-value crop grown in many temperate and tropical countries of the world. Several insects attack tobacco throughout the season, from transplant production, growth in the field, during storage, and in the marketed product. This review focuses on economically important insects of the seedling tobacco or the growing crop in major tobacco-producing regions of the world. The species covered herein are tobacco aphid, black cutworm, tobacco budworm, tobacco hornworm, tobacco flea beetle, thrips, Japanese beetle, and tobacco wireworm. The occurrence and economic importance of these insects vary from region to region.

For each insect discussed, the following information is provided: the scientific name and taxonomic position of the insect; its geographical distribution; the stage that causes the damage and plant hosts; a brief discussion on classification and description of the species; a summary of the biology and ecology; details regarding pest management, which include scouting-/monitoring methods, action threshold, cultural (non-chemical) methods, natural enemies, and chemical control. In addition, a concluding paragraph is presented on insect pest management for tobacco.