Differences in mate acceptance and host plant recognition between wild and laboratory-reared Busseola fusca (Fuller)

The present study was aimed at characterizing differences in mate acceptance and host plant recognition between Busseola fusca (Lep.: Noctuidae) reared for several generations under laboratory conditions and wild conspecifics, directly collected from maize stems in the field. The mating success was significantly higher in laboratory reared when compared with the wild B. fusca population. Oviposition on artificial stems was significantly higher for laboratory‐reared insects than for the wild ones. Moreover, unlike adults of the wild strain, laboratory‐reared B. fusca showed no preference to oviposit on surrogate stems impregnated with maize extracts. Long‐range attraction to the host plant was significantly lower for laboratory‐reared insects. Furthermore, the polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) analysis of mitochondrial DNA showed that the wild type and laboratory populations belonged to the same genetic strain, indicating that these differences between the populations were mainly phenotypic.