Impact of Leaf Hairiness and Planting Date on Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)

The tarnished plant bug is a major pest of cotton in the Mid-South. Insecticides are the main form of control for this pest, and numerous applications are required during a growing season to control the tarnished plant bug. Experiments were conducted at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center to determine the impact of tarnished plant bug infestation timings on cotton yields.  Additionally, the impact of leaf trichome density on tarnished plant bug populations in cotton was quantified.  Results from these experiments will be discussed.