Concept to Delivery: A Pocket-Size Scouting Decision Aid for Stink Bug Scouting In the Southeast

A pocket-sized scouting device was developed in 2010 for use in the Southeast to encourage 1) a higher adoption of stink bug scouting in cotton, 2) better field identification of boll damage symptoms, and 3) that proper scouting protocols are followed, The template described herein is based on a new dynamic threshold and is designed to be an essentially “self-contained” scouting guide. This plastic scouting tool provides a “dynamic threshold by week of bloom” table, lists scouting procedures, provides measuring holes to help select the correct boll size range for damage assessments, and contains images of internal and external boll damage. The device should improve stink bug management based on the stages of maximum crop susceptibility through lower thresholds during weeks 3 through 5 of the bloom period and utilizing higher thresholds during cotton stages of lower vulnerability to stink bug damage (weeks 1 to 2 and weeks 6 to 9 of the bloom period).