Damage to inflorescence of cabbage seed plants by the pale legume bug (Heteroptera:Miridae) [Lygus elisus]

Lygus elisus Van Duzee feeds on the floral parts of cabbage, Brassica oleracea L., and other Cruciferae grown for seed in western Washington. When varying densities of adults (0-4) were caged on floral parts of the cabbage inflorescence raceme, insect feeding caused the most damage to differentiating terminals, lesser damage to mature buds, and little or no damage to flowers and immature siliques. Injured buds turned yellow, became necrotic and eventually withered or abscissed at the pedicel. One adult destroyed an average of 1.69 buds per 24-h feeding period when confined to a differentiating terminal, and 0.44 buds per 48-h feeding period when confined to a group of 10 mature buds. Lygus feeding had no effect on the number of seeds per silique, seed size, or percent seed germination when insects were confined to terminals, buds, or flowers.