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Granulate Cutworm:
Evaluation of Insecticides for Control
MAX H BASS and SETH J JOHNSON'
LEAFLET 95 JUNE 1978
T HE GRANULATE CUTWORM, Feltia sub-
terranea (Fabricius), has been considered
an economic pest of peanuts in the Ala-
bama-Georgia-Florida area for many
years. This cutworm damages peanuts by
feeding on the foliage, primarily at night.
During the day the larvae usually stay
beneath dead foliage under the peanut
plants or just underneath the soil surface.
Five generations occur in southern Ala-
bama, but only three are present during
the peanut growing season. Cutworm
populations in peanuts peak in late June.
late July, and again in late August. The
SRespcctivel, Professor , D)pat) nent e n
Z olog -n l [g_, an d tflolcl (raduatc
Assistant, DI)cpartm ent of Z lg -tn-
tmlllog .and no\\ Assistant Prioessor. I oui
anaLl Statiie nivj crsiteV.
Different stages of the granulate cutworm
are shown in the title illustrations (counter
clockwise, beginning top right): Egg mass,
larva, rolled-up larva, pupa, and adult.
August generation peak is usually the
most noticeable and the most damaging.
Lee and Bass' reported good control of
this insect in 1970 with monocrotophos
sprays at I pound active ingredient per
acre and with trichlorfon and temephos
ii . B. L\M SI, M,,x H. B ss 1970.
Controlling Granulate Cutworms in Peanuts.
Auhurn Univ. (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Highlights
of Agricultural Research 17(2):5.
'M(a \,, L. W. \\ .C. FR Ni ii 1971.
Granulate Cut\\orm Control in Peanuts in
Georgia. J. Econ. Entomol. 64:937-939.
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION / AUBURN UNIVERSITY
R. DENNIS ROUSE, Director AUBURN, ALABAMA
Mg
lI0
*W, tQ
baits at 1 pound per acre. In 1971 Morgan
and French
2 
reported good control of the
granulate cutworm in Georgia with baits
containing temephos, monocrotophos,
chlorpyrifos, fonofos, trichlorfon, metho-
myl, and methamidophos.
The following tests were conducted to
obtain current information on the chemi-
cal control of granulate cutworm.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Experiments were carried out on pri-
vate farms in Geneva and Henry counties,
Alabama, to screen insecticidal com-
pounds against granulate cutworm pop-
ulations in peanuts. Treatments were
replicated four times and each replication
was randomized. Insecticides were ap-
plied to plots which were four rows wide
(36-inch rows) and 37 feet long (0.01
acre). Sprays were applied using a CO
2
pressurized sprayer calibrated to deliver
10 gallons of mixed spray per acre. Baits
and granules were weighed and dis-
tributed by hand down the center of each
row in a band approximately 12 inches
wide.
Insecticides tested included trichlorfon
(Dylox? or Proxol?), methomyl (Lan-
nate@ or Nudrin?), temephos (Bithion?),
carbaryl (Sevin@), Sevimol? (a carbaryl
and molasses mixture), chlorpyrifos
(Lorsban@), leptophos (Phosvel?), metha-
midophos (Monitor?), monocrotophos
(Azodrin?), acephate (Orthene?), mexa-
carbate (Zectran ?), Stauffer 2596,
ethoprop (Mocap?), fonofos (Dyfonate?),
and SN-316. Rates and formulations are
presented in tables 1 through 4. All ap-
plication rates are given as amount of ac-
tive ingredient per acre.
Live cutworm counts were made about
36 hours after treatment. Counts were
conducted between midnight and 5:00
a.m., since previous research had indi-
cated that this insect is most active and
most easily counted during this period.
Counts were made by randomly selecting
3 feet of row on one of the middle two
rows, vigorously shaking the plants, roll-
ing the peanuts back from the middle
toward the row, and searching under the
foliage with the aid of a flashlight. This
was repeated four times in each plot so
that a total of 12 row feet was sampled per
plot.
The average number of live cutworm
larvae per 3 row feet, 36 hours after treat-
ment, and the average percent control for
each treatment are presented in tables 1
through 4. Statistical differences in mean
numbers of live larvae per 3 row feet per
treatment were determined by the use of
Duncan's (new) multiple range test at the
.05 level.
RESULTS
In test 1, plots treated with trichlorfon
5 percent bait at 1 pound per acre,
methomyl 1 percent bait at 0.5 pound,
and temephos 2 percent bait at 1 pound
had significantly fewer live cutworm lar-
vae than plots treated in any other way,
table 1. Percent control afforded by these
treatments (98, 96, and 94, respectively)
was statistically equal. Methomyl 2 per-
cent and 5 percent bait at 0.5 pound per
acre and temephos 2 percent bait at 0.5
pound provided acceptable control
(about 89 percent in all cases). Other
materials tested did not provide accepta-
ble (80 percent or better) control.
In test 2, plots treated with temephos 2
percent bait or methomyl 1 percent bait at
0.5 pound per acre or trichlorfon 5 per-
TABLE 1. NUMBER OF LIVE GRANULATE
CUTWORM LARVAE PER 3 Row FEET
AND PERCENT CONTROL 36 HOURS
AFTER INSECTICIDAL TREATMENT,
TEST 1, GENEVA COUNTY,
ALABAMA, AUGUST
Insecticide, active No. live Percent
ingredient/acre larvae
1  
control
Trichlorfon 5% bait, 1 lb. 0.8a
2  
97.9
Methomyl 1% bait, 0.5 lb. 1.4a 96.2
Temephos 2% bait, 1 lb.. 2.1a 94.0
Methomyl 2% bait, 0.5 lb. 3.6b 89.9
Temephos 2% bait, 0.5 lb. 3.9b 89.2
Methomyl 5% bait, 0.5 lb. 4.0b 88.1
Trichlorfon 80SP, 1 lb. . . 16.0c 55.2
Trichlorfon 4EC, I lb .... 18.0c 49.6
Check ................ . 35.8d -
'Average number of live cutworms per 3-foot sam-
ple. Four samples were taken per replicate and each
treatment was replicated four times.
2
Means which share a common letter are not sig-
nificantly different at the .05 level.
TABLE 2. NUMBER OF LIVE GRANULATE
CUTWORM LARVAE PER 3 Row FEET
AND PERCENT CONTROL 36
HOURS AFTER TREATMENT,
TEST 2, HENRY COUNTY,
ALABAMA, AUGUST
Insecticide, active No. live Percent
ingredient/acre larvae' control
Temephos 2% bait, 0.5 lb. 1.8a
2  
90.4
Methomyl 1% bait, 0.5 lb. 2.0a 89.3
Trichlorfon 5% bait, 1 lb. 2.1a 88.3
Carbaryl 5% bait, 1 lb... 3.0b 83.6
Methomyl 3L, 0.5 lb..... 3.8b 79.4
Methomyl 90WP, 0.5 lb.. 3.8b 79.4
Sevimol? 4, 1.5-lb........51c 71.9
Sevimol? 2, 1.5 lb........ 5.9c 67.8
Carbaryl 80S, 1.5 lb...... 9.2d 49.3
Check.................. 18.2e -
'Average number of live cutworms per 3-foot sam-
ple. Four samples were taken per replicate and each
treatment was replicated four times.
2Means which share a common letter are not sig-
nificantly different at the .05 level.
cent bait at 1 pound had significantly
greater larval population reductions than
any other treatments, table 2. These treat-
ments were statistically equal to each
other and all afforded 88 to 90 percent
control. Carbaryl 5 percent bait also pro-
vided acceptable (80 percent or better)
control. No other treatment resulted in
control as high as 80 percent.
The only non-baits that provided ac-
ceptable control in this series of tests were
TABLE 3. NUMBEROF LIVE GRANULATE
CUTWORM LARVAE PER 3 Row FEET
AND PERCENT CONTROL 36
HOURS AFTER TREATMENT,
TEST 3, HENRY COUNTY,
ALABAMA, AUGUST
Insecticide, active No. live Percent
ingredient/acre larvae' control
Chlorpyrifos 4EC, 0.75 lb. 0.8a
2  
90.2
Temephos 2% bait,
0.33 lb ................ .8a 90.2
Methomyl 1% bait, 0.5 lb. .9ab 88.5
Trichlorfon 5% bait, 1 lb. 1.0ab 86.9
Leptophos 3EC, 1 lb..... 1.0ab 86.9
Carbaryl 5% bait, 1 lb. . . 1.1ab 85.2
Methamidophos 4EC, 1 lb. 1.4abc 82.0
Monocrotophos 5EC, 1 lb. 1.4abc 82.0
Acephate 5% bait, 0.75 lb. 1.6bc 78.7
Sevimol? 4, 1.5 lb....... 2.6cd 65.6
Mexacarbate 2EC, 0.75 lb. 2.9cd 62.3
Acephate 75S, 0.75 lb .... 3.5cd 54.1
Check .................. 7.6d -
'Average number of live cutworms per 3-foot sam-
ple. Four samples were taken per replicate and each
treatment was replicated four times.
'Means which share a common letter are not sig-
nificantly different at the .05 level.
TABLE 4. NUMBER OF LIVE GRANULATE
CUTWORM LARVAE PER 3 Row FEET
AND PERCENT CONTROL 36
HOURS AFTER TREATMENT,
TEST 4, HENRY COUNTY,
ALABAMA, AUGUST
Insecticide, active No. live Percent
ingredient/acre larvae' control
Methomyl 2% bait,0.5 lb. 2.1 a 92.6
Trichlorfon 5% bait, 1 lb. 2.5a 91.3
Temephos 2% bait, 0.5 lb. 3.5a 87.8
Stauffer 2596 4% bait,
4 lb.................. 3.5a 87.8
Carbaryl 5% bait, 1 lb... 4.Oa 86.0
Ethoprop 10G, 1 lb ...... 18.0b 37.1
Fonofos 4% bait, 4 lb . . . 21.2bc 25.8
SN-316 10G, 2 lb ........ 26.5c 7.4
Check.................. 28.6c
'Average number of live cutworms per 3-foot sam-
ple. Four samples were taken per replicate and each
treatment was replicated four times.
'Means which share a common letter are not sig-
nificantly different at the .05 level.
used in test 3, table 3. These were chlor-
pyrifos 4EC at 0.75 pound per acre (90
percent control), leptophos 3EC at 1
pound (87 percent control), metha-
midophos 4EC at 1 pound (82 percent
control), and monocrotophos 5EC at 1
pound per acre (82 percent control). The
effectiveness of these four sprays was
statistically equal to or better than the
baits used in this test (trichlorfon, meth-
omyl, temephos, carbaryl, and acephate).
No other materials used in this test pro-
vided acceptable population reductions.
Plots treated with methomyl, trichlor-
fon, temephos, Stauffer 2596, or carbaryl
baits in test 4, at rates indicated in table 4,
produced statistically equal larval cut-
worm population reductions. These
reductions ranged from 86 to 93 percent.
No other material used in this test
afforded acceptable control.
SUMMARY
The application of trichlorfon,
methomyl, carbaryl, and temephos baits
at indicated rates provided acceptable
population reductions in several tests.
Stauffer 2596 bait was used in only one
test but performed acceptably. In one test
the application of chlorpyrifos, lep-
tophos, methamidophos, and monocro-
tophos sprays at rates given in table 3 pro-
vided acceptable control.
Information contained herein is available to all without regard to race, color, or 
national origin.