Control of Tarnished Plant Bugs in Cotton with Selected Insecticides, 1995

Six insecticide treatments were evaluated against tarnished plant bugs in cotton at the Macon Ridge Location of the Northeast Research Station. Cottonseed was planted 1 May in 4 rows (40 inch centers) X 50 ft. Treatments were arranged in a RCB design with 4 replications. Insecticides were applied on 7 Jul with a high clearance sprayer calibrated to deliver 6 gpa through TeeJet TX-8 hollow cone nozzles (2/row) at 46 psi. Treatments were evaluated 3, 5, and 7 DAT by sampling the plots with a standard 15 inch diam sweep net. Also, to estimate actual mortality values for the treatments, field-collected tarnished plant bug adults were caged on 5 plants within each plot at 4 DAT. Five adults were introduced into a small nylon mesh cage which was placed over the plant terminal. Mortality of caged tarnished plant bugs was recorded 2 d after infestation (6 DAT). No rainfall was recorded during the test. Data were analyzed with ANOVA, and means were separated according to DMRT.