IMPACTS OF A PLANT-FEEDING BUG COMPLEX ON COTTON CULTURED UNDER PROTECTED AND UNPROTECTED ENVIRONMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA

摘要

Experiment that contrasted stink bug and plant bug populations, and their damage, with plant performance factors were established in commercial Bollgard II(R) in 2003 and 2004. Severe weather affected the tests in 2003. The thresholds of 10% internaldamaged bolls, 15% dirty blooms, and 1 stink bug per row feet were frequently exceeded in the untreated plots and sometimes exceeded in the treated plots, in spite of frequent insecticide application. Yields and hard lock were significantly improved (increased and decreased, respectively) with insecticide in one 2004 test that showed a seasonal average boll damage of 57.9%. A second test showed no significant yield improvement, or reduced hard-lock incident, in treated plots in spite of a seasonal bolldamage of 47% in the untreated plots. Data presented are preliminary and are intended to be part of a more comprehensive database designed to clarify the associations between plant-feeding bugs, their damage, and plant performance characteristics.