A comparrison of tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, biotypes from the hills and delta regions of Mississippi

Collections of tarnished plant bug from wild hosts were made in two different regions, the Hills and Delta, of Mississippi.  Collections were brought back to the MSU rearing facility and allowed to mate.  Once eggs were obtained, collections from each region were split into cohorts.  Once hatched, nymphs were placed on oligidic diet prior to 3^rd instar, once cohorts reached 3^rd instar, one cohort remained on diet, while the other was placed on fresh cotton squares.  Cohorts were then compared daily for development times and survivorship.  Once cohorts reached adulthood, tarnished plant bugs from each cohort were placed in containers at a 1:1 sex ratio of up to ten insects per cohort and monitored for fecundity and viable egg production.  Cohorts reared on oligidic diet had significantly higher survivorship than those reared on cotton.  Cohorts from the Delta region reared on cotton developed significantly faster than all other food and region combinations. Cohorts from the Delta region laid significantly more eggs/female/day and also more viable eggs/female/day than those from the Hills region.  Cohorts reared on cotton also produced significantly more eggs/female/day and also more viable eggs/female/day than those reared on diet.