Abstract

Twenty-two cultivars of canna lilies, Canna × generalis, were evaluated for potential resistance to the lesser canna lily leafroller, Geshna cannalis, and the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica. Both of these pests cause defoliation of the plants resulting in reduced plant fitness and aesthetic injury. Cultivars sustaining the most damage by leafrollers were ‘Richard Wallace’, ‘Firebird’, and ‘Black Knight’. While Japanese beetle injury varied, cultivars most consistently damaged by beetles were ‘Lenape’, ‘Scarlet Wave’, ‘Dawn Pink’, and ‘Crimson Beauty’. While all plants sustained at least some injury, cultivars that consistently had the least amount of damage by leafrollers were ‘Maudie Malcolm’, ‘Striped Beauty’, and ‘Journey's End’. ‘Maudie Malcolm’ and ‘Striped Beauty’ were similarly avoided by Japanese beetles, while ‘Journey's End’ sustained moderate injury from this pest. Tall cultivars with red or orange flowers and some red in their foliage were especially vulnerable to infestation by the lesser canna leafroller.