Damage By Cotton Fleahopper (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Select Glabrous, Hirsute, and Pilose Cotton Varieties

In Texas, cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a key insect pest of cotton with induced yield loss estimates of 0.4% over the past decade and was the leading cause of yield loss due to insect damage in Texas during 2012-2013. The cotton fleahopper can cause excessive loss of cotton squares resulting in reduced yield and harvest delays. Damage to individual fields may vary from none to extremely high square loss when heavy populations develop and are left uncontrolled. The reason for variability in losses caused by the cotton fleahopper is not understood but may, in part, be associated with cultivar differences Understanding cotton fleahopper response to cotton varieties will allow better management strategies for managing this pest on cotton. The objectives of the current research are to evaluate cotton fleahopper populations on select cotton varieties to determine if colonization differs among varieties with unique genetic backgrounds and determine if fleahopper damage differs among varieties and if this damage influences yield.