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Why can cabbage white butterflies become serious pests of cultivated Brassica crops?
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Brassicales
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea, variety italica).
Cabbage white butterflies are considered major economic pests because their larvae feed extensively on cabbage and other related plants within the Brassicaceae family. These caterpillars can locally decimate cultivated Brassica crops, leading to significant agricultural damage.12
While insecticides are commonly used to manage these populations, their effectiveness is increasingly challenged by the insects' growing resistance to these agrochemicals.1