ABSTRACT
Though only sporadic pests, seed loss to Lygus species is generally around 3-5%, but can be much higher (Turnock et al. 1995). Injured plants were able to tolerate a limited amount of damage by compensating for bud abscission so that the overall number of siliques was unaffected; however, injury to the seedpod itself caused seeds to collapse (Butts and Lamb 1990). The susceptibility of B. napus relative to B. juncea was attributed to antixenotic factors that deter oviposition on B. juncea infl orescences (Gerber 1998). Interestingly, S. alba, which is less susceptible than either B. napus or B. juncea, was more preferable as an oviposition host (Gerber 1997). The resistance in S. alba was partly explained by antixenosis from pod trichomes as well as the antibiotic effect of high seed glucosinolate levels that likely inhibit larval development (Bodnaryk 1996).
