The cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) –is it becoming a serious pest on pepper and tomato in Montenegro?

Abstract: In the last few years, increases in the damage to pepper and tomato fruits caused by thecotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera have been noticed in the southern part of Montenegro,the country’s main pepper and tomato production area. This includes the area around the city ofPodgorica (Zeta and Bjelopavlići) and the Montenegro seacoast (Ulcinj) where these two culturesare grown both in greenhouses and outdoors. From July to September in 2010 and 2011, eighttomato and six pepper greenhouses in the Zeta and Bjelopavlići area were visually inspected.Two tomato greenhouses, one open-field tomato crop and one open-field pepper crop werevisually inspected in 2011 in the Ulcinj area. As well as a visual inspection, the intensity of attackwas also calculated for the pepper and tomato crops. The results of this study showed that larvaeof H. armigera were found on pepper and tomato fruits in most of the inspected greenhouses andalso on tomato fruits in the open field. More damaged pepper and tomato fruits were observed in2011 than in 2010.