Two-Spotted Spider Mites: An Impact Assessment of Tssm on GA Cotton

This is a multi-faceted, quantitative effort to develop a useful rating scale for GA cotton producers to implement when determining the proper time to treat a TSSM infestation.  The studies included two threshold trials, two treated/untreated trials, a pheno trial, a disruption study, and a mite distribution study.  The distribution study includes a photographic chronology of mite distribution within the canopy.  Both incidence and severity were rated on a continual basis, in an effort to correlate the two with regard to plant health impact.  In addition, yield data was/is being collected in an effort to prove or disprove the hypothesis.  Efforts were made to include the economics of treating the mite infestation versus the loss of revenue from diminished yield in the conclusions.