Crop wild relative was Nikolai Vavilov, the Russian botanist who first realized the importance of crop wild relatives in the early 20th century. Genetic material from CWRs has been utilized by humans for thousands of years to improve the quality and yield of crops. Farmers have used traditional breeding methods for millennia, wild maize ("Zea mexicana") is routinely grown alongside maize to promote natural crossing and improve yields. More recently, plant breeders have utilised CWR genes to improve a wide range of crops like rice ("Oryza sativa"), tomato ("Solanum lycopersicum") and grain legumes. CWRs have contributed many useful genes to crop plants, and
Mythimna separata light dorsal stripe, with black-brown lateral stripe along spiracle line. spiracles brown with black rim. Pupae are yellowish brown and shiny. The moth flies from January to April depending on the location. The larvae feed on a range of agricultural plants like "Zea mays", "Sorghum bicolor" and "Oryza sativa" and are thus considered a pest. Caterpillars do not feed on "Momordica charantia" due to the presence of the triterpenoid glucoside called momordicine II, which is a natural inhibitor of caterpillar actions. China experiences periodic outbreaks of northern armyworm infestation. The outbreak in 2012 was particularly severe. Larva can be hand