Regional risk assessment of a plant bug on cotton using a cropping system/landscape approach

The cotton boll-feeding sucking bug complex is ecosystem sensitive (e.g., variable host plant ranges, abiotic sensitivities), which is reflected in high spatial variability in pest abundance and damage. We explored spatial analysis of associations between recent histories of abundance of one of these insects, verde plant bug, and cotton damage with cropping system patterns. Forty data points across 24 locations were used to classify pest risk in South Texas, 2010-2012. In 2013, validation was done using new locations, comparing rank order of abundance to the ordering predicted in the regional classification.