National Cotton Council of America
Beltwide Cotton Conferences
January 8-11, 2008
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center
Nashville, Tennessee
The Cotton Foundation

Recorded Presentations

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:00 AM

Manually Applied Infestations of Tarnished Plant Bug Nymphs in Late Season Cotton to Identify the Final Stage of Crop Susceptibility

Tina Gray Teague1, Jonathon Smith1, Diana M. Danforth2, and Patricia F. O'Leary3. (1) Arkansas State University - University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, PO Box 2340, State University, AR 72467, (2) University of Arkansas, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agriculture Building 217, Fayetteville, AR 72701, (3) Cotton Incorporated, 6399 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513

Research to refine and validate end-of-season crop management guides for defining the final stage of crop susceptibility for tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)) was continued in 2007 in Northeast Arkansas. The insect control termination guide in COTMAN that has been in use for heliothine caterpillars and boll weevils (NAWF=5 +350 DD60s) has been validated in small and large plot trials in Arkansas and has been shown to be is a very conservative recommendation --- more than sufficient for late season plant bug management. For natural infestations that include season long pressure, termination of insect control before cutout +250 has resulted in yield penalties. Field research in 2007 supports previous research findings showing increased crop tolerance to plant bug as the crop matures. In the 2007 field trial on the Judd Hill Research Farm Station in Trumann, manual infestations of >10 nymphs/ft were made weekly beginning the week prior to physiological cutout (mean Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF) =5) and extended until 600 DD60s after cutout. No reductions in yield were observed compared to untreated cotton or cotton protected with insecticides. These data plus our previous results from 2000-2007, indicate reduced susceptibility to plant bug in cotton around the time of physiological cutout. We suggest that decision makers consider earlier termination timing for plant bug control in cotton. Termination at NAWF=5+250 DD60s appears to be adequate in fields of uniform maturity particularly in production areas with low levels of early season plant bug pest pressure.