PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

The study was conducted to determine the feeding behavior of Helopeltis theivora on different host plants, i.e., tea, golden dewdrop, mikania, and china rose, under both no-choice and choice experiments in the laboratory. The results indicated that the female created the highest number of feeding spots on the tea leaves, followed by the male and the second instar nymph. The fourth and fifth nymphal instars, as well as adults, preferred the second leaf, whereas the first, second, and third instars chose the first leaf of tea shoot. There was a linear and positive relationship between the diameter of the feeding spots on tea leaves and the different growth stages. The highest number and diameter of feeding spots by H. theivora were observed on the tea leaves compared to the stem in no-choice and choice experiments. The result also revealed that the greatest extent of damage to the tea shoot area was caused by adult females, significantly different from other growth stages of H. theivora in both experiments. The order of choice of different host plants based on the number of feeding spots by nymphs and adults was tea>golden dewdrop>mikania>china rose in no-choice and choice experiments. The feeding behavior of different hosts confirms that H. theivora can survive when its primary food source is scanty. The result of this research may help plan an effective pest management strategy against H. theivora in tea.