Enoch Osekre, David L. Wright, Jim Marois, and D. J. Mailhot. University of Florida, 155 Research Road, Quincy, FL 32351
Cotton hardlock has become an important disease of the crop, reducing yield significantly in the southern part of the USA. Some researchers have reported about the association of flower inhabiting Frankliniella thrips with the disease. However, no work has been done on the impact of the dynamics of the population of these insects on the disease. Field studies were conducted during the summer/fall of 2006 and 2007 to evaluate this aspect of the disease incidence. In Quincy, a positive correlation was observed between the insects and the disease even though very low R2 values of 0.14 and 0.08 were recorded in these years, respectively. In Marianna, whilst a positive correlation was observed in 2006, an inverse relationship was observed in 2007. The R2 values observed in the respective years were 0.04 and 0.18. Even though these results tend to add credence to the association of Frankliniella thrips to the disease, there is the need for more studies on this subject.
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