Abstract: Helicoverpa armigera is a polytrophic agricultural pest. To clarify the resistance of tobacco varieties against H. armigera and develop new control strategies, the host selection preference of H. armigera for four tobacco varieties was investigated through field and laboratory experiment. The insect-attracting volatiles from tobacco were identified by GC-EAG-MS, and the taxis responses of H. armigera adult to different volatiles were detected by using Y-shaped tube. Results indicated that during the fast-growing and flowering periods of tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum ‘Zhongyan 100M’ and N. rustica ‘Xianfengxiaolanhua’ suffered the most severe damage, with a damage rate exceeding 93%. The indoor oviposition test showed that these two varieties had significant oviposition-inducing effect on H. armigera adult. The key active volatiles of the tested tobacco included benzaldehyde, linalool, eugenol, benzyl alcohol, phenylacetaldehyde, α-terpineol, etc. The attractant effects of different concentrations of volatiles varied on female and male adults. H. armigera shows a preference for different tobacco types and varieties, and specific components of tobacco volatiles exhibit obvious attractant effect on adult of H. armigera.