Area-Wide Management Approach for Tarnished Plant Bug in the Mississippi Delta

Authors

D. Cook, Mississippi State UniversityFollow
G. L. Snodgrass, USDA-ARS
E. Burris, Louisiana State University
J. Gore, Mississippi State University
D. Burns, Louisiana State University
R. Leonard, Louisiana State University

Abstract

Large-scale field studies were conducted to evaluate effects of native winter-spring host plant management on tarnished plant bug (TPB), Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), infestations in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), in the Mississippi Delta regions of Louisiana and Mississippi. Herbicide applications reduced TPB bug densities in non-cultivated hosts along field margins in both states. This translated to reduced plant bug densities in cotton fields within the treated area in Mississippi, but not Louisiana. The lack of impact on plant bug densities in cotton fields in Louisiana might be attributed to the extent of the landscape that could not be treated. These results indicate that this management strategy does have utility for TPB management in cotton, but may not be appropriate for every situation.

Recommended Citation

Cook, D.; Snodgrass, G. L.; Burris, E.; Gore, J.; Burns, D.; and Leonard, R. (2014) "Area-Wide Management Approach for Tarnished Plant Bug in the Mississippi Delta," Midsouth Entomologist: Vol. 7: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/midsouthent/vol7/iss2/5