Infestation dynamics and damage caused by hellula spp. (lepidoptera: crambidae) on three head cabbage (brassica oleracea var. capitata) cultivars in korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire

Background: Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is an important vegetable crop in Côte d'Ivoire, but its productivity is severely constrained by insect pests, particularly species of the genus Hellula (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the infestation dynamics, prevalence, and damage caused by Hellula spp. on three cabbage cultivars (KK cross, Super cross, and Fortune) grown in Korhogo, northern Côte d'Ivoire. Methods: The experiment was conducted from January to March 2026 using a randomized complete block design with three cultivars and three replicates. Weekly observations were carried out to record Hellula spp. larvae, assess infestation levels on different plant organs, and determine the yield of each cultivar. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test at the 5% significance level. Results: A total of 234 Hellula spp. individuals were recorded during the study. The first infestations were observed 28 days after transplanting, after which pest populations increased progressively, reaching their highest levels between 63 and 77 days after transplanting. The KK cross cultivar exhibited the highest infestation level (37.18%), followed by Super cross (36.32%), whereas the Fortune cultivar recorded the lowest infestation level (26.50%). Leaves were the most heavily infested plant organs. Despite relatively high infestation levels, the Super cross cultivar produced the highest yield (36.31 kg). However, differences in infestation prevalence among the three cultivars were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that Hellula spp. is a major pest of cabbage under the agroecological condition of Korhogo. They highlight the importance of cultivar selection as a component of integrated pest management and provide valuable information for the sustainable improvement of cabbage production in Côte d'Ivoire.