Cotton Fleahopper and Its Damage to Cotton As Affected by Plant Water Stress and Insect Seasonality

Cotton fleahopper can cause excessive loss of cotton squares, resulting in reduced yield and harvest delays. Cotton fleahopper is a key insect pest of cotton in Texas and Oklahoma, and an occasional pest in New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, and other mid-South states. Within Texas, cotton fleahopper damage is also variable within the state and from year to year. We propose that plant water stress, insect seasonality, and plant sensitivity are interacting factors that result in damage differences which are currently difficult to predict.  In field testing initiated in 2011 in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, TX, drought conditions presented a serious challenge to the test but provided opportunity to assess overall insect activity in a high contrast of dryland and irrigated conditions. For cotton fleahopper in Corpus Christi, plant water stress and cotton fleahopper seasonality were key factors in determining plant response.