Selective Application Timing for Late Season Tarnished Plant Bug Control in Irrigated and Rainfed Management Zones in Center Pivot Irrigated Cotton

Zone management for insecticide termination was evaluated in irrigated and rainfed management zones in a center pivot irrigated field during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 growing seasons in Northeast Arkansas. A replicated strip trial across center pivot irrigated “circles” and rainfed “corners” was used to validate the use of NAWF-based measures of crop maturity to time the final late-season insecticide applications to control tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois).  In the three year study, no reduction in yield was associated with following crop termination rules using the cutout+250 DD60s for irrigated and for rainfed areas of the field. These data support adoption of a zone management approach in late season crop protection practices. Producers that have auto-guidance technology can employ map-based selective applications to apply protectants only to areas of the field still vulnerable to late season infestations. Adoption of this approach will allow producers to offset rising costs associated with insecticides ( on the Wildy Farm there was a 13 to 18 % reduction in cost for 1 to 2  applications)  as well as reduce environmental impact of applications at the edge-of field (we quantified this using the Field Print Calculator).