Host-Plant Preference of Megacopta cribraria

The purpose of this study was to examine the host plant preferences of M. cribraria. We first hypothesized that M. cribraria prefers its native host plant when given the choice between kudzu and soybeans. If M. cribraria prefers kudzu over soybeans, it may indicate that M. cribraria could be an effective biological control agent for kudzu. We also wanted to determine if M. cribraria prefers soybean plants inoculated with nitrogen fixing rhizobia over non-inoculated soybean plants. Our hypothesis is that M. cribraria will prefer the inoculated soybeans to the non-inoculated soybeans due to the increased nitrogen