It has generally been accepted that Lygus specie (Hemiptera: Miridae) infesting Texas High Plains cotton are Lygus hesperus Knight or Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois). In fact, a third specie, Lygus elisus Van Duzee has been identified to be more prevalent than L. lineolaris, and in some cases more prevalent than L. hesperus. The damage potential for L. hesperus has been established, but little is known about L. elisus.
The current study investigated damage to cotton anthers caused by hesperus and elisus, the two most common Lygus species in West Texas cotton.
Both laboratory and fields experiments were used to compare anther damage on cotton. The field study involved placing nylon (4 x 6 inches) bags over selected squares and allowing both species to feed for 24 hours. The squares enclosed in each plant were of the same node position. After 24 hours, the bugs were moved and each square was observed for abscission and/or lint yield.
The laboratory study involved removing sixth position, eraser-size squares from the field and allowing both species of Lygus to feed for 24 hr. Damage was assessed from a subjective rating system developed by the authors. These methods, which included a control group of squares that were not fed upon, allowed for a good evaluation of the damage potential of both species.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA