Caterpillars of Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has commonly been found attacking young coffee (Coffea arabica) plants in Brazil (State of Minas Gerais), with lesions being observed in the stems and residues of caterpillar feces found in the bark. A few days after the attack, the tissue damage appears less intense because of a woody suberization and healing process, hampering pest detection. There was a higher mortality of plants (13.9%). This is the first record A. ipsilon damaging young coffee plants in Brazil and new cases could arise in other locations where this plant is grown.
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