The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), feeds on multiple crops in the Red River Valley (RRV) of North Dakota and Minnesota. To gain perspective on the seasonal activity of L. lineolaris in the RRV, abundance was monitored weekly at two locations. Proximal alfalfa, sugarbeet, sunflower, soybean, dry bean, and/or canola fields were sampled in a manner compatible with the respective host plant habitats. At each location, samples were taken in four zones of four and eight fields in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Activity of L. lineolaris was then compared to the growth stage of the host crop. Heightened activity usually coincided with host plant reproductive stages and conversely decreased activity was usually associated with senescence or harvest of the host crop. Fluctuations in Lygus bug abundance in each host crop were similar among all locations and years. Activity in alfalfa is generally high from June through late July. Abundance steadily increases in sugarbeet from late July until the crop is harvested in early October. Levels of L. lineolaris peaked in sunflower, sugarbeet, and canola during flowering and seed development. Heightened activity occurs in alfalfa again during September as annual crops senesce. Our investigation indicates that host plant phenology has a major influence on Lygus bug activity throughout the season.
Species 1: Heteroptera Miridae Lygus lineolaris (tarnished plant bug)
Keywords: seasonal abundance
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